When Lies Became Real
by Kingdom-Keys16
Summary: Shiki Senri reluctantly invited her into his life, a lost cousin, but he wasn't sure if family was all that she craved for. Touya Rima had a hidden agenda. A plan for revenge. But what she didn't plan for was the blue-eyed puppet to interfere. SHIMA
1. Ch1: The Road Less Travelled

**A/N:** Happy New Year, re-uploading the edited chapters. They are...slightly shorter. :p enjoy my imagination in Matsuri Hino-sensei's world~! :3

**Chapter 1: The Road Less Travelled**

Splotches of bright color were splattered across the morning sky, creating the daily phenomenon that was the sunrise. Lovers cooed in each other's ears, bathed in the morning's glory while along the bay walk, gulls screeched and joggers' feet pounded the ground caught up in their daily routine for the morning.

The world was just waking from its slumber. It was a violent and rude waking every day to the sound of the honking of cars as they work through rush hour traffic. Monday mornings at nine a.m. were especially abhorent. For one person though, this had been the day she's been waiting for. For Toya Rima, this was the day when she would finally make the first move and initiate a plan that had been lying in wait for over a year.

Leaning with her elbows on one of the wooden poles connected to the pier, Rima narrowed her eyes at the sun's growing gleam. She reached down into her suit pocket and tried to fish out her sunglasses. The pocket was deep and mishapen so it took her more then a few seconds to recover them. She put them on.

"Darling, doesn't the sunrise look so beautiful?"

Ten meters away, Rima picked up on a female's soft sigh that spoke of infatuation. She rolled her eyes and flung a piece of blonde hair from her eyes, annoyed that her bangs had grown so long without her knowing it. Then she heard the man's reply...and shuddered. The woman's responding giggles sounded as loud as if Rima had been standing right beside her...which sadly left nothing to the imagination. She wasn't a mind reader but she could easily tell what that woman was thinking without being one.

_'Humans...' _

She thought with a shake of her head. What was so special about a sunrise anyways? It wasn't a novelty or anything.

This coming from a being who has watched these kinds of things for so many years. How many years? The number escaped her and she deemed it unworthy to bother even trying to remember. In human years though she was a mere sixteen. It was just a sunrise, just a hug, just an event that occurred once every hundred years...But her mind flitted back to the unspoken question of her age.

Surely she has already gone through more than that couple will ever know. Rima turned away from the sun's glare, too weary from facing it just to escape the lovers' continual chattering. . She awkwardly stood there, facing the streets where more and more people were starting to gather. She caught sight of a bench nearby and dropped down there. Moving towards it, She flipped up the collar of her shirt to cover the exposed skin of the back of her neck. Contrary to the popular belief that vampires burn to death in the daylight, they merely burned. And nor did they exactly shimmer like there were diamonds and crystals implanted in their skin while under the sun (though she wouldn't put it past more eccentric personalities).

Yet her mind eventually drifted off to darker matters, a dismal expression overcoming shades of crimson. There was a sinister recollection burned forever in her subconscious that would force her to do what she was about to do….a memory that never failed to break her heart…..

It had resurfaced.

One year ago…

Broken glass crunched beneath her feet, the sound abnormally loud in the silent house that was her home. A fifteen year old girl raced into the house, through a doorway that had been obliterated. Large amounts of adrenaline pumped into her cold blood, lethal dosages that would have overwhelmed every system in a regular human's body.

But she was not human.

The girl violently pushed past over-turned chairs and trampled frames, reminders of the glass cabinets that her mother loved so much. She could smell the blood now. So much blood. The familiar scent that had caught her attention did no good in calming her. It just made her more desperate to get to where the source of the blood was.

"Mom?" She stumbled into the den. And then her chest heaved upwards. And her heart jerked to an unprecedented stop. Time froze, her eyes focusing on one momentous figure that lay amongst the chaos.

"MOM!"

She wanted to shriek, to scream and let out the sudden blow of grief and disbelief that had struck so heavily her heart with the weight of her crashing universe. But she couldn't.

Her voice would not let her. A pathetic gasp was what had escaped before her jaw had involuntarily closed shut.

She staggered forward, her heart sputtering to a start, its beat unsteady and as weak as she felt. Her mother, ripped and bloody, was lying in a puddle of liquid tinted a dark cherry by the fading light. The older woman coughed, that same mysterious liquid in patchy sprinkles coating her mouth. Her rose petal lips glistened, wet with her own blood.

The girl's heart clenched painfully when gaunt eyes slowly turned up to face her. Eyes with passion and tenderness sparkled at the sight of her pale-faced daughter. Hana tried to move her twisted limbs in an effort to sit up. But she couldn't. She was too weak.

Over and over in the daughter's mind, the same question kept repeating themselves.

Who could've...?

To an aristocrat. Someone who was now injured nearly beyond recognition.

"... Rima..."

Hana coughed again, her breaths becoming cruder and shallower. It took a visible exertion for her not to choke. The resulting gasps were terrible and sent a streak of horror through the girl. She slumped down onto her knees, vehemently ignoring how the blood started to soak into her white party dress. She reached her hands out to her mother's face. Sobs wrestled themselves from out of her throat, pitiable sounds that couldn't express the sudden sense of fear, an emotion she had never truly felt before, that had erupted within her very core.

"What happened?" She whispered under her breath, trying to restrain her emotions but failing to do so completely.

Her mother's face;

It would haunt her for an eternity.

"Who did this to you?" continued the girl.

Taking a closer look, Rima's eyes widened substantially with dread. Multiple shivers relentlessly began to run down her back, raising the delicate hairs at the back of her neck.

"Why...?" Her voice croaked, an ugly sound that hurt her ears.

"Why aren't you healing?"

Her mother grimaced and the lines on her forehead creased with the tension of staying conscious.

"I can't..." She stammered uselessly, trying to caress her daughter's face. But her hand fell short, flopping down to her side like a piece of rubber as the little strength that she had gave out.

_'What do you mean you can't?'_

"Heal already. Why not?" whispered the girl again.

Aristocrats' injuries could heal at almost 10 times as fast as humans. But right before her eyes, Rima was finding this fundamental fact being sorely contradicted.

"I've gone too far to regenerate..."

And then, through this nightmare, a realization dawned upon the daughter.

Her mother couldn't heal herself.

Her wounds would not close and her body wouldn't be able to recover from the amount of blood that she had lost. The slippery blood was painting the den floor a sickening red and there was nothing she could do.

"You won't make it." The sound of finality rang in her voice and the girl was surprised how clearly she could say it despite what it insinuated.

She was going to lose her mother.

She looked for her mother's hand in an act of desperation and clutched it to her chest, squeezing it tightly; she was not about to let go of her lifeline.

"Mom...Mom...Mom..." She kept repeating, on the brink of breaking down. Her only family, gone...

No, it was not just her.. There was another...

Her heart stopped for a second time.

Tha-dump…..Tha…dump…Tha…dump…

Miyako.

Rima's heart started to race erratically. A pushed aside picture filled her mind. It was of her golden-haired and green-eyed sister.

Miyako.

The human who had been waving good-bye and wishing her horrible time at the party.

"Mom, where's Miyako?"

No reply.

"Where did she go? Mom, stay awake!"

"Did she escape? Mom? MOM!"

Her voice grew more and more raspy as she called out to her mother who was slowly ebbing away. Her once vibrant blue eyes dulling into bleak, opaque abysses of anguish.

"... Miyako..." Her mother wheezed out, eyes shifting from side to side inside their hallowed sockets.

"Kuran..."

Rima took a sharp breath and couldn't believe her ears. Kuran?

"K-Kuran-sama...took her..." The mother had started crying, another sight that wretched at her eldest daughter's heart. "Why..."

That couldn't be true. It couldn't be the Kurans. The purebloods wouldn't do this to her mother. Haruka-sama, Juri-sama, Kaname-sama...they wouldn't do this to her mother. They had been friends, allies in the pacifist movement. But...

She had said 'Kuran-sama'.

'Kuran-sama'.

Kuran-sama, as in, the other head of the family who she had never met.

Rido-sama.

No, why would he?

Pearling at the corners of her eyes, Rima felt the tears begin to fall down her powdered cheeks. She hated herself for this, for crying when her mother needed her to stay strong. It seemed to be like an unconscious betrayal, an unknown knowing on her part that her mother wouldn't survive. She wanted to tell her it was okay. She wanted to smile and ask when her mother would stop joking and heal. But she could hear her heartbeat fade away with each thudding beat...and that's when it triggered the torrent.

The tears started to fall, one by one, dropping on her mother's blood-stained face. It left fresh wet trails across the dried blood, only causing her to shed more.

"You can't leave us, Mom! What about Kuran-sama? What about Miyako? Mom, please. Stay with us."

The girl couldn't help but plead feebly, her voice cracking and dropping almost to a silent murmur as she tried to keep her mother away from the grips of Death.

"Mom….don't do this to me!"

Fifteen years old and without her mother. It couldn't be happening to her. This kind of thing happens to other families but not hers. Never hers.

The scene became even blurrier as the girl tried to wipe away the tears with her sleeve, blinded by her anguish. Her hands, she realized, were covered in her blood, her mother's blood dripping off the tips of her fingers.

Bile rose up in her throat but she fought it back.

It was her final moments….her final moments. The words echoed in her mind hollowly, leaving despair and discordance behind.

But they turned into different sounds…

"Miss? Miss?"

Awaking from her dark thoughts, Rima opened her eyes. Before her stood a person she had never met before. She appreciated him blocking what sun could reach her.

"Who are you?" was what she wanted to ask but what came out of her mouth was an indignant, "What?"

The man, taken back by Rima's curt tone, cleared his throat before speaking.

"S-Sorry to disturb you, but I was just passing by and…"

Here, he pulled out a card from his pocket and handed it over. It was barely spared a glance.

"I'm actually a models' scout and I was wondering whether you've given any thought into launching a modeling career?"

"I'm sorry..." Kai apologized while standing up, her motions as fluid and smooth as water. "I…I already have something that I have been planning to do."

"Is that a definite no?" The scout called out as Kai bowed her head politely and took her leave.

From what the models' scout could tell, it seemed as if she had set her sights on a outsized cruise ship that was harboured in the distance.

If Ichijo had known that this would've happened, he would have stayed in bed this morning. That thought ran through his mind the minute he had stepped out of his Mercedes Benz Roadster. He had lovingly tapped the passenger seat before setting foot in the harbour, remembering the three weeks of careful contemplation that had went into deciding on 'Palladium Silver'.

And then, he was mauled.

By who?

Normally, fan girls. Not a volley of desperate-looking men. The second between his initial surprise and recognition of the men as vampire guards consisted of him fretting about how he was going to have to turn them all down.

Sighing, he had moved to wave them off but then began to realize that this set of guards were not his own but of another. That of his younger, quieter friend. It was actually that friend's cruise ship technically that he had been about to board.

_'What did you do now, Shiki?'_ Ichijo thought as the guards hurriedly rushed to inform him about their charge's disappearance. Disconcerted by their panicked expressions, he listened to their plights, noting that each had lost a little of his composure. Ichijo narrowed his green eyes at the cruise ship up ahead and tried to imagine what his friend was doing at this very moment. Obviously he had no idea that Ichijo had to deal with the consequences. The lithe blonde combed a hand through his hair and sighed. Whatever it was that had caused this distressing disappearance, he hoped Shiki would come back soon before his ears fell off.

_Itchy…_

A lone figure weaved through the many boxes and pieces of luggage that were being carried onto a nearby ship by cargo workers. Muscle-flexing workers glanced at him and paid no mind.

Just another runt. They thought, taking note of his slim figure and too lean arms. This boy won't last long in this business...

If only they knew that just as he was, he could lift five times the amount they could. They would have been stunned.

Shiki saw their quizzical looks and carefully adjusted the red wig that covered his disarray of hazelnut hair.

No one should be able to recognize him.

He fondly patted the duffel bag that was hanging off his shoulder. It contained the clothes he had left his family's mansion in. By now, they were crumpled and had wrinkles everywhere but he didn't care. It wasn't his job to care about small details like that. That was the maids' job.

Irritated by a sudden itch, Shiki scratched his ear and frowned, just enough to turn his innocently handsome features sullen.

"Who's talking about me?" He asked no one in particular.

He looked around as he continued to walk, constantly checking behind him to see if any of the guards were following him. Satisfied when he saw there were none, he turned…and nearly fell over a girl.

The girl, who was sitting and leaning against a pile of boxes, did not move a muscle and bore no reaction when Shiki nimbly sidestepped her. Shiki glared, slightly peeved, only to find that she was already sending him a similar look with equal severity. They stared at each other in silence, so intensely that it soon became a staring contest.

Finally Shiki decided to give in and speak up. Noting her suit, he assumed she was an ill-hired worker. "Why aren't you carrying something?"

She showed a flash of vexation, immediately realizing that this odd person presumed she was hired help. That had been her intention but though she was dressed the part, she had no intention helping out. Instead, she narrowed her eyes in indignation and said, "I don't want to."

For a second, Shiki admired the defiance in the girl's eyes.

And a second later, it dawned on Shiki that he was looking down upon a vampire much like himself.

_Another aristocrat?_ He wondered.

No lower-class vampire would have responded that way to him.

_Does she know who I am?_

"Do you know me?"

"No."

He could take a hint. Even if she knew who he was, it looked like she could care less. Lights danced in her too blue eyes and he marvelled at them for a split second before clearing his throat. Shiki noticed that she was eying his hair with a peculiar look and then remembered his disguise. It occured to him that he had just asked such a stupid question.

_Of course she doesn't recognize me...I'm wearing a disguise..._

"You don't even work here." Shiki stated, trying to cover up for his blunder. Shamelessly, with the gall of a man possessing no experience with girls, he chose to look her up and down to study her physique. Puberty was still a mere concept for him, and even now, Shiki found no interest in her body.

"I'm wearing a suit, aren't I?" She retorted evenly. Her tone amused him. No one outside his circle of friends had been so curt.

But then, if she wasn't here to work, she must have an ulterior motive.

Without warning, the girl stood up and brushed off dust from her thighs. Whilst doing so, she held his gaze and then said the most unusual thing.

"I'll give you strawberry Pocky if you pretend you didn't see me."

Her voice was cool, not at all nervous. This was considering he had the suspiscion that he had just caught her trying to sneak onto the ship. He found her rather confident and indulgent, as if bribing him was the simplest and kindest thing in the world to do.

Shiki stared at the girl for the longest moment. What she was trying to get at? Was she seriously trying to bribe him? He toyed with the idea and noted significant features that would help him identify her in the future. This would be useful when the security guards on board caught her. He'd come up with some credible story about having thought she was someone's maid and no one would be the wiser to blame him. He'd get off scot-free…...

After all, this was _**his**_ family's cruise ship.

"So…" The young lady coughed politely though he could tell that she was getting impatient. She had no idea what had been running through the young master's mind. She was a short girl…though he was surely biased due to the fact that he was taller than most girls, so she could have been pretty tall if he disregarded his own height.

_Concentrate Shiki_… He reminded himself, already feeling himself get distracted.

He supposed that she had long hair. It was the colour of a flaxen gold and was pulled up into two messy pigtails at the sides of her head. Her face was pointed yet defined cheeks dusted with the slightest tint of rose caught his eye. Her clothes were unremarkable, just a dusty jumpsuit. He looked back to her face and saw that she was getting quite annoyed. He felt the corner of his mouth twitch.

He thought over this bizarre situation that he was in and wondered if he actually was going to give an answer. _Pros and Cons..._

The pro was that she was bribing him with pocky. Strawberry pocky, mind you.

The con was... What was the con again? Whatever... he had a foolproof plan anyways if any trouble arose.

Now back to thoughts of pocky. Shiki would've been surprised that she was bribing him with pocky out of all of the things in the world...if he didn't know that ever since he had debuted as a teen model, his entire profile had been posted on his company's webpage, including his everlasting love for the strawberry snack. Every now and then, Shiki cursed the internet in his free time.

_I never wanted the job anyways…_

Secretly, Shiki blamed his mother who had guilt-tripped him into going into the entertainment business because of her own inspirational career.

But back to the answer. The Pros won...obviously.

Shiki nodded. "Ok then."

The girl graced him with the smallest illusion of a smile and rummaged in her jacket pocket for a pink pack of the snack. She threw it to him and he easily caught it as he watched her turn around and walk towards the cargo hold.

Holding the pack in his hand without looking at it, Shiki decided to ask her one last time. Just for the heck of it.

"Are you sure you don't recognize me?"

The girl looked back and he saw that same amused smile flutter across her lips.

"No."

She mouthed the words before quickly disappearing from his view. Shiki felt a strange urge to follow her but banished it from his mind. What would others think if he suddenly went chasing after an unknown girl? She wasn't his problem anymore anyways. The man turned around and started walking off in the opposite direction, pulling off pieces of his carefully-planned disguise. The red wig and the flashy 'Baltimore Orioles' cap came off first and then the phony contacts that hid the shade of blue that he had inherited from his father. He glanced down at his clothes and sighed, he hadn't taken into account that he had no place to change into his formal clothes. Previously, he had just changed in the privacy of the family's spacious limousine. Shiki resigned himself to bearing with and wearing his current clothes selection up onto the cruise ship. Not that he cared really. It was just that his mother would wonder what happened to the three thousand dollar suit they had left in from the mansion. He felt like going up to his room straightaway right now and enjoy the spoils of his newly found pack of pocky as he made his way around the ship and towards the ramp that led to the entrance. It was a shame that his mother did not share his affinity for it but that only meant more for him. He was one greedy vampire.

Thinking of all the pocky he had ordered and had, on the sly, stowed away in his private rooms, Shiki soon grew hungry and began to lick his lips impatiently as he eyed all the people who were innocently walking around him. In the process of pulling off a fake Handlebar moustache, his mind seemed to wander again and sinister temptations took advantage. These were humans, with warm, delicious blood flowing through their veins. One missing person wouldn't cause an uproar, would it? Just one missing…

"SHIKIIIIII!"

Shiki was rudely jerked out of his thoughts at the sound of his name being called so loudly and he promptly turned his head towards its source. Unable to pull up his lips into a smile, he settled on displaying a pout to greet his companion.

"What took you so long?" Shiki questioned naively, re-adjusting the grip of his duffel bag.

Panting, Ichijo took a few moments before answering with his aggravated, yet nevertheless trademark, dazzling grin.

"Where have you been? I've been all over this place looking for you and I find you here! At the back of the ship!"

"I wanted to walk." Shiki stated calmly as if he were pointing out to his friend the most obvious thing on Earth.

Sighing for the fiftieth time today, Ichijo shook his head and said, "And you couldn't have been bothered telling anyone that?"

Shiki simply shrugged. "It didn't really matter. I wanted to see if my disguise would work."

Then he paused, thoughtful.

"But I guess it wasn't a good idea now that I think about it…"

Ichijo smiled gently at Shiki. This was one of the rare occasions where he would show a glimpse of having a concern for something that wasn't directly related to him…...

That is, that was Ichijo's interpretation until Shiki spoke his next words.

"You still found me….so next time, I'll just make a better disguise and walk further." Shiki concluded firmly.

Ichijo slapped his forehead. How _Shiki_. This was not one of those rare occasions after all.

"Some people could get in trouble if you do this again." Ichijo tried to make an impression on him, but Shiki's blank face told him that those words had no impact. He knew that Shiki was not intentionally trying to cause harm but he just couldn't help thinking about those poor guards.

So, for now, he gave up, and started to push Shiki in one direction.

"Come on….let's go back before heads start to roll."

"Whose heads?" Shiki asked innocently, allowing himself to get pushed.

Ichijo smiled good-naturedly at this.

"Oh there's lots of people's heads. Remember Takashi whose always picking his nose in front of the hallway mirror at the mansion? Oh, and Hanzo, that bald guy who tripped..." Ichijo's list went on and Shiki, the faithful listener, nodded his head in response to each name, wondering if he had actually met all of those people.

Meanwhile, the pocky girl was talking to herself, irritated by their meeting.

"Hmph. '_Okay.'_ he says…" Rima muttered quietly to herself, casually walking up the steel walkway and into the cargo hold. The men who were working along the walkways childishly whistled and stared. She paid no mind; their presence was irrelevant to her. Her full concentration was on completing what she had set out to do and nobody was going to distract her.

Hours later, Shiki is sitting on board the second floor of the ship, dressed in a proper coat and the whole bit.

The christening of the Silver Whisper had gone off without a hitch, and a celebration that could have rivaled New Year's Eve. Confetti and streamers flew through the air onto a crowd of people cheering on the docks. Shiki yawned and rubbed one eye. This was boring. He leaned over the side railing and looked down to where his mother stood with a bottle of wine in her hand. He observed as she smashed one of their best wine bottles, vintage Chateau Lafite, against the side of the ship, its purpose to commemorate the maiden voyage of the _Silver Whisper_. However, he knew that It wasn't that his mother had _**wanted** _to use that particular bottle (it was her favorite) but the unfortunate truth was that because things had been running late, she had been forced to use that one bottle.

Nevertheless, there she was, his wonderful superstar actress of a mother, smiling as if everything was so perfect. He has never understood her need to please others but to each his own. There was no way he would ever try that hard to others. He found it distasteful that she had told him that this lack of concern was shared with his father. No matter how much he protested though, he could not disregard the fact that Rido and he shared the same blood.

"All's the more to hate." Shiki murmured cruelly, folding his hands together, staring aimlessly at the waves that crashed against the ship's sides. Shiki yawned again and felt the ship start to tread water. Farewells and other incoherent sayings pierce the air. Wondering who they were meant for, the young man then noticed a rather peculiar scene that was occurring right on the deck below.

_"Wh_at?" There is a glimpse of blonde hair fluttering in the breeze. The girl too was leaning over the railing; shadows hid defining feature but pink-stained lips were moving as a silent prayer of sorts was recited. And because he had been absorbed in trying to read her lips, Shiki was surprised when she suddenly flung her hand out and released a torrent of silver petals into the wind. They flew to the clutches of the watery depths below, but what for?

The girl withdrew her hand and bowed her head respectfully...and then she looked up.

"Shiki!"

Looking behind him, Shiki saw Ichijo and a group of people standing a little ways off.

"Come over here!" Ichijo called again.

Shiki, hardly torn between the decision to move or stay put, glanced back down to the deck below and heaved a heavy sigh.

She was gone.

He dismissed her as a distraction and joined the group. Shiki realized that all of them, except for Ichijo who he has known since childhood, were fairly new acquaintances who he had only met two to three months ago. He had barely expected himself to befriend them but thanks to Ichijo, they had forged a rather friendly relationship with each other.

"What were you looking at?" A handsome man with blond wavy hair asked.

Shiki, the forgetful person that he was, stared at the other man for a few seconds. He was trying to attach a name to that face because only God knows how many blond-haired, blue-eyed models he's seen.

_Ahh…Aido..._

"Aido...Hana?"

The man frowned. "Hanabusa! Not just Hana. I'm no girl!"

Whatever. Another person spoke up before Shiki could reply.

"Quiet as ever, aren't you, Shiki?" Another blond, this time a female, interjected.

_This is...__?_

Shiki delved into his memory once more and unearthed her name quicker than Aido's. _Sou_en Ruka.

"Come on you guys! Is that any way to treat your host?" Ichijo said admonishingly. He winked at Shiki and started on a topic that came completely out of nowhere. Rakugo.

"Shiki. "

Shiki turned and spotted a feral-looking man staring back at him. Already searching for a name, Shiki remained silent. Brown hair and golden eyes. Brown and gold….hmmm….

"Kain Akatsuki. The last time we met…I think it was a few months ago."

This man had a keen eye. Kain offered out his hand and Shiki took it, giving a short shake.

Ichijo, noted this exchange from the corner of his eye and was joyous. He exclaimed, "That's right! We're all friends here! No need for honorifics! Right, Aido, Ruka?"

The two grumbled but nodded their heads despite the fact that they were glaring daggers at each other.

"What a handful those two are…" Shiki heard Kain say as he shook his head in disbelief. Shiki smiled inwardly and kept a poker face on as he watched Ruka and Aido argue about something that Ichijo had accidentally mentioned.

"How did you guys enjoy Paris anyways?" Ichijo asked to no one in particular, successfully distracting Aido and Ruka from their bickering.

"Let's just say Paris was more attractive when you didn't actually have to be there." Kain gave a short laugh.

"But the sweets were delicious! And-" Aido argued, loud and overexcited as he defended the city.

Ruka snorted in a very unlady-like manner and haughtily stated, "You just liked the fact that all of the human girls gave you everything for free..."

Aido flushed a bright red and averted his gaze.

"T-That's not true!"

"Really, cousin?" Kain eyed him doubtfully, a smile in his words.

Looking between the combined interrogation forces of Ruka and his cousin, Aido blew up and started to walk away, shouting curses at them.

"Shut up you two! Leave me alone already!"

Ruka grinned maliciously and stalked after him, with Kain as the mediator sighing after them to prevent trouble.

Ichijo did nothing but saw now that Shiki was frowning. Ichijo anticipated a troubling question and waited patiently.

Was there something wrong with his family situation? Some one bullying him? Or maybe...girl problems? Ichijo began to secretly fret over the unspoken question and felt his palms sweat...

"Why are you all blond?"

Ichijo nearly fell over.

"Hmmmm, I wonder about that…" Ichijo replied.


	2. Ch2: Shiki Number Two

**Chapter 2: Shiki Number Two**

"This kind of thing doesn't interest me…"

Kain rolled his eyes and gave the man in front of him a small push. "Just go to the party…."

Shiki glared back at Kain but found that he had no choice since his _friends_ were forcing him to go. He and Kain were standing at the far west corridor near the back of the ship where they were waiting for the rest to arrive. At the rate things were going at now, Shiki wouldn't be surprised if they managed to make it to the main hall by midnight.

Oh why was the night so young?

"…"

"Don't give him that look, Shiki. This is for your own good." Ichijo chided his friend good-naturedly as he came out into the hallway in a black velvet suit with a white rose in his lapel.

He then asked, after looking around, "Where's Aido and Ruka? Have they gone off with each other into the horizon?"

Kain chuckled at the suggestion. "Those two? Are you kidding? This is not like your mangas. They'd rather bite each other's heads off."

Ichijo cocked his head to the side with a curious expression. "Well, that happened in _Vampire Cross__ing_...the two main characters used to hate each other but found that they were actually deeply in love...Oh well." With a shrug, Ichijo went and leaned against the wall that Shiki was already occupying.

"Looking pretty handsome this evening, Shiki." The blond commented as he studied the messy-haired boy. The wind-swept hair looked like it had never seen the likes of a comb and his clothes were made of the same material as his suit, a smooth black velvet, which despite its crumpled state, suited the vampire just fine.

"Are you gay?" Shiki replied, unruffled and droopy-eyed as he tried to keep himself awake. What he wouldn't give for the chance to go back to bed and sleep till the next night….

"No…." Ichijo objected and then suddenly looked thoughtful. "At least I don't think so..."

"What?" Kain asked, gaping at Ichijo. He had never heard such a ridiculous thing.

And at the same time, Shiki moved a few noticeable inches away from the creepy blond.

"I was just kidding! Can't you take a joke?" Ichijo laughed and slung an arm around both of his friends' shoulders.

"Sometimes, you seem too much like a human, Ichijo." Kain muttered quietly so that only he could hear.

"They make life interesting though." Ichijo countered cheerfully. "Hmm Shiki?"

Shiki had nudged Ichijo in the ribs and was staring straight ahead.

"Here they come…" said Kain with an amused look.

Then, all three men heard irregular bouts of growling.

"It's not **my** fault that you got lost!"

The small group looked at each other simultaneously and knew.

Ruka.

"Everything's your fault! Ever since the first day I met you in that damned city! Now where do we go from here?"

And that was obviously Aido….

"Turn right at Starbucks and go straight until we reach the Tako...What does it say? The Takoyomi Sushi Bar…? And then take two lefts to go to the…ARGH!"

A frustrated cry rang through the corridor and the three men looked at each other for the second time.

"Humans are interesting, but those two..." Kain trailed off and merely smiled.

" Ichijo gives the worst directions!"

"You sound so stupid right now. Read it quietly or just hand over the paper!" They could hear Ruka exclaim angrily.

"Who are you calling stupid, you old hag! Stop being such a suck-up!" Aido shouted back to her as they approached the group, though it seemed that the others' presence was still unbeknownst to the squabbling couple.

"Then you stop trying to get too close to Kaname-sama!"

"Ohhh! Look who's talking, the pot!"

"Haha! I'm sure Kaname will be glad to know he's so loved!" Aido and Ruka abruptly stopped and finally realized where they were.

"Uhh, yes…" The two livid blonds cast exchanged another heated glare between each other, an agreement being met.

_We'll settle this later…_

"Then shall we go?"

Ichijo linked arms with Aido and started to head towards the hall, ignoring Aido's protests at his forwardness.

"How can I let a _**GUY **_escort _**ME **_to a party?" Aido yelled.

Ignoring the pleas of his loud-mouthed cousin, Kain kindly offered an arm to Ruka who eventually took it. They then began to follow after ichijo and Aido. That left Shiki to follow behind them and he watched the pairs chatter unreservedly. He had grown accustomed to it, but still felt a pang of loneliness somewhere deep inside him. He had always been the one watching on the sidelines but was it really ok to stay that way?

Roughly stuffing his hands into the pockets of his pants, Shiki spared a glance upwards at the moon that was glowing unnaturally bright in the dimming sky. It was warm tonight, the heat that the ocean had trapped underneath its surface releasing into the atmosphere above in puffs of steam. Shivers still crawled up his neck. Why? Silence was his reply and he saw that it would only be that for a long while.

**Two long hours later….**

"I can think of so many places I'd rather be right now." Ruka pulled her pale burgundy shawl around her shoulder more tightly and took a deep breath. Maybe she shouldn't have worn the cocktail dress this evening. The open-backed cut did not help her situation.

It had gotten colder since they had arrived at the huge ballroom that was used for the _Silver Whisper_'s celebration party. And as she had expected, even though this was called a "party", it was only that in name. In reality, it was more like an opportunity where the most powerful of the aristocrats got together to size one another up and play their tiresome manipulative games. She could hardly get upset by the fact no one was dancing and were just sitting together or standing around. She wasn't even allowed to, because she was here for that exact same reason with her family.

_If only Kaname-sama was here…._

Ruka held the wish close to her heart, a smile playing on her lips at the thought of his long dark hair and those penetrating eyes, perhaps even darker and more alluring.

_This gathering would be so much more enjoyable if I could just look at him now…._

But no more than that. She knew better than to wish for more. Kaname Kuran was off-limits to her.

Why?

Becaus he was one of the last remaining purebloods in the vampire hierarchy, a powerful man who had not a drop of the human blood contaminant.

He had told her of his absence when she had met him at similar gathering on land a couple of weeks ago.

She could not wish for more but still, just the thought of him, in spite of everything, made her cheeks blush a fine, fine red. Ruka loved and admired him so much that she was sure that nothing in the world could ever change that… She would even offer her own blood for him.

She would've thought that Kaname-sama would have for sure been on this cruise, since his uncle was its owner.

Kuran Rido.

His name struck terror and reverence in her heart all at once, dismissing the love and adoration that had been stirred by Kaname. Ruka swallowed hard to dismiss the feeling but the unexpected trembles that ran along on her arms did not disappear as fast as she would have liked.

The older vampire had lived at least ten times longer than she and that same vampire was present tonight, in this exact hall, even though she had not yet chanced seeing him. Really, Could anyone believe that Shiki, that quiet man who kept more to himself than anyone she had ever known, was his son? He was an aristocrat like herself of course, since his mother was not a pureblood but still, a vampire of high ranking.

Ruka wondered whether he knew how many people were watching him tonight. And where he exactly was for that matter. Their small group had quickly dispersed amongst the crowds upon arrival and she had lost track of Kain and Shiki….and on the same note, she became conscious that she had now also lost Aido and Ichijo who had gone off to get drinks.

They had just left her, a sitting duck keeping her ass warm sitting **alone** at their table.

Stupid men...

"How can he be the wine server? His face…" Ending on a disgusted tone, Aido shuddered as both he and Ichijo appeared before the pissed off woman with glass cups in their hands. Ichijo, fully ignoring the daggers aimed at his face, handed Ruka her drink. Ruka, distracted, took the glass and took a large sip of the vodka and tonic water blend, the twist of lemon at the side hitting her lip. Ichijo gave a thumbs up sign to Aido who had felt reluctant at first to return after such a long delay for fear of Ruka's temper. Ichijo then took a sip of his raspberry daiquiri and savored the sweet flavor.

"I wouldn't say that he was _ugly_ per say…just..."

Ichijo paused, pondering on how to describe him as kindly as possible. "Facially-challenged! That's the word!" He came up with cheerfully after a few moments.

Ruka shook her head as the two men took their seats beside her, Aido on her left and Ichijo to the right. Setting her glass down in front of her, she regarded Ichijo thoughtfully.

"That's a misunderstanding in itself, Ichijo. I've seen that wine server too. You're just too nice for your own good." Ruka said.

"But still -" Ichijo tried to speak but Aido cut him off first.

"He's just plain repulsive. End of story." Aido stated, making another sour face. He would've said more but a group of women who happened to be walking past their table caught his roaming eye. Instantly sidetracked, Aido winked decadently at the younger members of the group, receiving sought-after blushes and in his opinion, unnecessary glares of the others who were seemingly unaffected by his boyish charms.

"Guess I can't win them all." Aido stated with an arrogant smirk.

"Thank God...or else the world would be full of fools." Ruka remarked.

Ichijo, still stuck on the wine server issue, ignored both comments and said, "What can I say? The two of you are such shallow vampires…"

"And that's not the least of it."

Kain had returned along with Shiki in tow. They joined the group and took their places in the remaining empty seats around the table. Jutting out a thumb at the couple in question, he explained, "You won't find anybody else as high-maintenance as they are."

Ichijo laughed at this as Aido and Ruka turned to the late-come comic. Shiki played around with the paper umbrella that had come along with his drink, twirling it in between his index finger and thumb with a bored expression.

"Electric Jello…" He suddenly announced at the table. Shiki looked up and was not in the least surprised that everyone currently had their eyes on him.

"….?"

"…."

They refused to say anything.

"What?" said the person behind the act.

The unexpected ringing of a bell was heard clearly throughout the great hall. Shiki slumped in his chair and looked to the entrance doors of the hall where the ringing seemed to originate from. People began to chatter about what could be happening at such a late hour. He had a clear view of the entrance but as the vampires began to move about to catch a glimpse of the situation, his view became obstructed and had only the backs of heads to stare at. Still, Shiki felt no immediate desire to stand up from his sitting position.

"Good evening!" Shiki Amaya's voice echoed in the hall, amplified by hidden speakers.

"I hope everything is up to your standards this evening! Rido-sama , who could not be here tonight for business related reasons. However, I have fantastic news to tell you. Oh, wait…" Amaya paused, peering through the crowds with her hand lifted up above her eyes. Shiki really didn't know what she was trying to do but all he really hoped for was that his mother not involve him in anything this evening and just–

"SENRI? SENRI DEAR? WHERE ARE YOU?"

_'S__poke too soon…__'_ Shiki thought to himself with a sigh.

Everyone cringed at the sound of Amaya's yelling and promptly covered their ears to block out the sound. Shiki, on the other hand, took his time to stand up with his drink in hand. He caught Ichijo's eye before turning.

"This is boring…I'm leaving."

Sadly, Shiki only made it past the next table until he felt someone pull roughly on his shirt's collar and used it to yank him in the opposite direction. He looked back at the person and found Ichijo there with an exasperated smile on his face as he dragged him. Shiki, a difficult child by nature, dragged his feet on the ground, not caring how childish he was acting, whatever it took to not be in the spotlight. But after what seemed to be a short time, the hand that had been towing him along ultimately let go and set him free….

Only for him to face his mother smack in front of him in all of her waiflike beauty and splendor. Even from where he stood though, Shiki could smell the hint of alcohol on her breath and was probably not the only person to notice how her eyes were so slightly glazed over.

Peering at his glass, Shiki saw that despite being pulled across the floor, he had managed to not spill a single drop.

_'__This tastes yummy….maybe I should get another?__'_

"Here he is, Amaya-sama." Ichijo announced in a courteous and respectful voice as he bowed his head. Shiki's mother thanked him and Ichijo took his leave, blending back into the crowd. She turned to Shiki next and cupping his chin in her hand, helped him up and directed him to stand on her right side. She beamed at him with startling delight and then addressed the hall once again.

"Guests, now that my son is here beside me, I have the honor to introduce a person I've spent a long time looking for."

A hush fell upon the hall. Strangely, Shiki felt on edge as he stared at his mother's glorious face.

"I'm glad to have found he surviving daughter of my brother, Aisu."

Pausing for a dramatic effect, the older Shiki swept her head to the side and beckoned a figure in the shadows to step out.

"Please, Kai, come out and greet your cousin."

Slow to process and even slower to react, Shiki was still able to take another sip of his drink before turning to face this cousin of his. He turned and looked.

Then stared.

And gaped.

And then took another sip. The girl before him, who had taken his mother's gracious hand in hers, was now the center of attention.

And that girl was the pocky girl.

Kai? Was that her name? That girl? Was that who she was? _**His**_ cousin?

These questions kept repeating themselves in his mind. They puzzled him, but he kept himself impassive outwardly, keeping the turmoil to himself.

Shiki risked a peek at her for a second time and avoided eye contact purposely.

It _**was**_ her!

That girl was the very same girl he had met hours ago.

Sure, she was wearing an exquisite black cocktail dress and sure, her neck and ears and arms were adorned by strands of lovely pearls that alternated between a sleek cream rose pink and a light gray.

But there was no doubt.

He looked closer. The illusion of the dress made her seem more cultured than his original impression. Little did Shiki know that the girl was sizing him up too.

_Each step brought her closer to him. The bastard's son. Her__ fists__ were tightly clenched__ behind her back.__ Or rather, as Kai, her cousin. He had the same eyes as his father, sharp and cool._

"Senri, come and greet Kai. It's rude to just stand there and stare." Amaya was frowning with her arms folded across her chest.

"Tsk tsk…I thought I taught you better." She continued disappointedly. "Anyhow, Kai is the same age as you."

"Yes." Kai answered coolly, her words directed towards the older vampir but her eyes fixed on Shiki who felt a bit uncomfortable under her gaze. A disturbing thought struck him at that moment...

Did she remember him? From when they met before?

_No, she couldn't have. __He had been__ wearing a disguise…_

Slightly reassured, Shiki held out his hand. At a snail's pace, Kai took it in her hand and shook firmly. He became aware of something deeper behind her innocent act. Shiki released her hand first, and bowed his head to show that he was not as ill-mannered as his mother had painted him.

"Now Senri dear..."

At this, Shiki visibly cringed and dodged his mother's looks. He knew that tone. It was the kind of tone she would have when she was about to ask someone a favour (usually him). Suspicion cast a shadow in his already dark eyes. This night was growing less and less pleasant.

"Would you mind showing her around for the next few days?"

_There we go__. The favour. _

Yes or no.

He bit his bottom lip, careful not to puncture it with his fangs.

"Her?" Shiki pointed a finger straight at Kai, trying to stall for time to think of an excuse to escape.

This time, his mother's entire complexion darkened and a threatening tone entered her voice. "It's rude to point at others, Senri..." She gritted her teeth at him.

Knowing that it was now do or die...Shiki took a deep breath. He had never refused his mother before.

"No."

But there was a first time for everything, starting now.

Shiki stiffly forced a smile from his lips and held up a hand in an act of contrition.

"Sorry? I'm….busy?"

"That won't do." A voice called from behind him and Shiki mentally groaned. After dragging him and leaving him there, _**now**_ Ichijo comes and interrupts... Shiki didn't even bother turning around to greet him.

"Ah, Takuma. How lovely to see you again."

"Likewise, Amaya-sama. After a mere five minutes, I missed you." Ichijo grinned, ever the smooth talker, and bowed for a second time. Moving his attention to Shiki's cousin, took her hand, bending forward to give a light kiss upon gloved skin.

"Pleasure to meet you, Shiki Number Two."

Kai was unfazed by this action.

"It's Ri-" She breathed sharply for a millisecond and continued, "I mean, Osawa. But likewise, Ichijo-sama."

Ichijo's grin grew confused. "Osawa-san?"

Kai nodded, her blond pigtails swinging demurely in the air. "Yes, Osawa."

Ichijo glanced at Shiki's mother.

"Due to family circumstances, Kai was forced to change her surname, one of the reasons why my family and I were not able to find her for such a long time."

"Ah..." Ichijo winked at her in understanding. "So should I call you Osawa-san instead of Shiki-chan?"

"It...does not matter. If you wish, Kai is fine." There was a skip in her voice as she said her name that Shiki picked up on.

Ichijo smiled and then said, "Well, I pick Kai then, Shiki-chan! I mean, Kai! Since I see my family name transcends me, you can just call me Ichijo. Or Takuma. Take your pick."

"Ichijo is fine." Kai said before bowing her head to Ichijo. She had not expected to be on close terms with him so soon. "May I get a drink?"

"Of course! Takuma here will escort you!"

"And so will Shiki Number One!" Ichijo exclaimed brightly, to the despair of said person who hoped that he had heard him wrong.

"Excellent! I see, I shall leave my niece, and my son, in your most capable hands Takuma!" With that, Shiki Amaya moved away to a nearby group of aristocrats and would be gravitating across the entire floor in less than an hour.

Shiki glared at Ichijo and muttered, "I don't like getting caught up like this, Ichijo. I hate it..."

The blonde waved off his friend's glowers and took Kai's hand in his, sending a killer smile her way. "Haha, you have a lot to get used to already without Shiki acting like that and everyone else acting as they are."

"Mhm…" Kai mumbled quietly, also noticing the looks that people were giving her. Inwardly, she smiled to herself and told herself not to be intimidated by such trivial matters. It was a waste of her energy and she had to save that up for when she met Rido. Later on, she would ask her precious "aunt" about his whereabouts and his arrival. It wouldn't seem suspicious if a niece started asking to see her uncle, would it? Lost in thought, Kai allowed Ichijo to lead her to the bar to get her drink, Shiki the scowling follower. His pace soon matched hers and she growled softly when she felt him move closer and lean towards her ear.

He breathed softly in her ear for a moment and during that moment, Kai felt an anxious feeling wash over her.

"Do…" Her dark-haired cousin started in a monotone voice.

Pause.

"You..." continued he.

_Do I what? _

Patience was not her strong point.

"Always enter a ship through the cargo hold?"

Kai froze.

Just stopped functioning right in the middle of the floor, her eyes widening as his question sunk in.

"How do you…" She cut off, her mind's eye going over every single thing she had done since stepping into the harbour.

Nothing.

There was no way he could've seen her sneaking in. Not once has she seen him before except for in photographs she had gathered to profile him. How could he have seen her? She had worn that stupid hat the whole time and had only taken it off ONCE!

_Wait…__that time? _

Instantly, Kai's mind flickered back to a blurry image of a man who had red dreadlocks and eyes that were the colour of cooked seaweed.

_**That**_ had been_ Shiki Senri?_

How should she answer?

Ichijo came back to see why she had stopped. "Shiki-chan? Is something wrong?"

"No." Kai replied curtly, hastily smoothing out the sides of her dress as if that was all that had bothered her. "I still want my drink."

She knew she sounded demanding but she had to get out of this ill situation soon. Rushing past her two escorts, Kai reached the bar in no time and quickly ordered some sort of daiquiri. Service was instant so she had already finished more than half of the alcoholic beverage by the time Shiki and Ichijo arrived.

And by that time, she had already resolved to pretend that she hadn't heard Shiki's remark. Shiki sat on her right and seeing her drink, scoffed quietly and turned away. On the other hand, Ichijo looked at it and laughed out loud at her. Indignant, she asked what was the matter.

"Enjoying the papa doble?" Ichijo gave her a wink and turned to the barista to order a 'golden cannonball'.

Kai downed the rest of the drink before anyone could say anything else. She stood up and observed the extravagance around her. Every inch of every room screamed of top decor and expensive tastes and every person she has seen gave off the same kind of aura as well. But beneath it all, she also sensed the political games that each social visit entailed and the constrained atmosphere that especially surrounded those of family members related to the Senate. Yes, she knew all about those pompous old men who supported the purebloods and were all about protecting them and their way of life. Her resentment did not merely stem from their support of a killer, but also their actions when she had reported her mother's death. They had not cared for her mother the way they should have. Instead, they had hushed up her murder and tried to keep her silent. They had tried to, right up until Rima escaped and adopted the identity of Osawa Kai.

To her annoyance, Shiki tagged along behind her. He probably wanted to ask more. Would she have to put up with this from now on?

Her impression of him just kept getting worse and worse. It didn't help that when Kai took her next step, there was a startling RIP behind her. Simultaneously, three pairs of eyes flew down to her dress.

"Oh…" Shiki said expressionlessly, realizing what he had done. He proceeded with lifting his shoe off of the ripped fabric. He felt murderous intent.

"Uhh..I'm sure he didn't mean to!" Ichijo exclaimed quickly. He had sensed the aura too, radiating from a silent Kai. "He's bit careless sometimes..."

Kai was still staring at her dress but with a look of calculation. Then, without hesitation, she bent over and continued the path the initial rip had started. The people around her looked on in horror, all except Shiki who still couldn't care less. A few seconds later, about six inches of the hem of the dress was missing from the once lengthy dress.

She straightened, looked Shiki straight in the eye and muttered, "I'm getting another drink."

Kai went back to the bar, astonished guests, both young and old, stepping out of the way so that she had a clear path to the bar. They had never seen the likes of her.

"Good job Shiki…" Ichijo groaned as he reached down to pick up the part of Kai's dress that she had just ripped off. He handed it over to Shiki who stared down at it and looked up, questioning the offer. Ichijo jutted the cloth at him and finally, Shiki accepted it, grudgingly stuffing it in his pant pocket.

"She's weird…" Shiki stated, bemused and curious at the same time. He had expected a big fuss or something. That's what his mother or Ruka would have done.

"She's still your cousin." Ichijo sighed. "At least, that's what your mother believes. Ah...not in that way, sorry."

The flashing of a fierce expression across Shiki's face stopped Ichijo from saying more. Even his best friend could not get away with questioning his mother.

"We need to investigate her." Shiki said with his lips pursed tightly together. "That girl, I don't trust her."

"Yeah…" Ichijo's smile ebbed away, little by little as he cursed himself for his choice of words. For the many years and few things he knew about Shiki, his mother had always been a recurring matter. Everyone knew that Shiki Amaya was in no way Kuran Rido's wife and that the president already had an equally influential fiancée, the Kuruizaki-hime. Not many though were familiar with the fact that Amaya-sama had become increasingly mentally unstable after meeting Rido.

"Hey…what are you-?"

The trickling of liquid recaptured Ichijo's attention and he blinked, taking in the sight before him. Shiki's right pant leg and shoe was drenched in a dark red liquid that was dripping into a puddle at his feet. As Ichijo lifted his gaze, he saw Shiki flexing his fingers, uncharacteristically tense. There, with an empty glass in her hand, was Kai. God, he would have never expected this. He stifled a laugh to remain respectful but he heard a few snickers behind him.

"Oh, sorry_**.**_ It was an _**accident**_."

Kai's monotone voice rose over the chuckles.

"Haha…she got you good there, Shiki." Aido emerged from the crowd with Ruka and Kain behind him, walking hand in hand.

"Shut it Aido." Kain growled harshly in a low voice as he lowered his head to Kai courteously. With his free hand, he forced down Aido's head which, after a moment's struggle, thought better of the situation and complied. Ruka removed her hand from Kain's and took a step forward, offering a gracious smile as she did a small curtsey.

"My name is Souen Ruka." Pointing to Kain, she then said, "This is Kain Akatsuki, and that dunderhead over there with the loud mouth is Aido "The Idiot" Hanabusa." Ruka told the last part with a rueful face.

"Hey! What did you just call me?" Aido's temper flaring up in the wrong place, Ruka's friendly eyes narrowed and darkened her fair complexion.

"A dunderhead who's an idiot! Got a problem with that?"She retorted unkindly.

"Why you-!"

Kai did not know what to do. Ruka and Aido were now fully invested into another argument.

"There they go again….for the 56th time today…" Kai looked beside her to see Kain who honestly did not know where to look. "And to think they had only met several hours ago…"

He glanced over past Kai and coughed. "Hmm."

"What?" Kai wondered aloud.

"Shiki, you should really go and change!" Ichijo had aquired wads of napkins, tending to Kai's victim who was lazily wiping his pant leg. Kai was a little disappointed at his reaction though. But she did not know that Shiki was actually happy that he had to excuse to leave.

"I'm going to my room."

"I'll come with you." Ichijo said and after adding onto Kain's load of taking care of Kai, the two men left the hall together. Kai had not spoken a word to either of them.

Ichijo and Shiki walked side by side through the dark corridors of the cruise ship, listening to the din made by more boisterous vampires who had had a little too much to drink. Whoever said vampires could get drunk from the taste of blood probably didn't know that large amounts of alcohol were often used as substitutes.

"We're just like everyone else, you know." Shiki threw a puzzled look at Ichijo who was staring out at the ocean wistfully. "I mean…we can get drunk and make mistakes like any other normal vampire or even like humans for that matter."

"We're not normal." Shiki murmured.

"Huh...no, we are not."

It remained quiet from then on …except for the sound that Shiki's right shoe was making every time it hit the floor.

_Squish_

_Squish_

_Squish_

For a second he balanced on one foot to have just the briefest piece of silence but then he would always have to put his foot down.

_Squish_

_Squish_

_Squish_

Eventually, they reached Shiki's quarters. He was just about to enter his room and say good night but Ichijo did not have the intent of leaving so quickly.

"Hey Shiki."

"What?"

"Do you always have to say that?" Ichijo sighed.

"Don't you think that cloud looks like a puppy?" Ichijo pointed at a faraway cloud in the distance that had huge clumps sticking out from its body.

Shiki arched his eyebrow and shook his head. "No."

He started to head back towards his door but Ichijo knocked him in the head and grabbed his arm to make him stay.

"Look! It's right there!" Ichijo pointed again at the indefinite object that floated in the sky but still, Shiki could not make anything out of it. Being imaginative was not his strong point and the circumstances did not foster any inclinations to be so now.

"There's its little tail….and oh oh! There are its cute, fuzzy ears! Do you see it now, Shiki?"

Shiki, indulging his friend for the last time, looked out at the cloud again and seriously tried to picture a puppy from it. Squinting until his eyes were only narrow slits on his face, he decided to give the sad truth to his friend in the only way he could...

"No."

Ichijo rubbed his eyes. " But it's right there..."

Shiki had had enough.

"No. I'm going inside now…"

"But-! Shiki!"

The door slammed behind him and Shiki leaned against its hard wooden frame before proceeding with taking off his left shoe.

Outside, Ichijo sniggered and called out, "Good night!", before heading back to the hall.

_Shiki _threw the shoe off to the side while he took off the other. _No more infernal squishing.__ Now all that's left is to deal with…_

He nearly cringed at the sight. The entire sock was stained a dark and dirty pink that he feared might have stained his foot pink as well. Carefully, he peeled off the sock. What a hateful and sticky feeling. Shiki then hopped with lopsided balance to the luxurious bathroom that had been prepared for him. He undressed and then took a quick shower, the hot stream of water from the shower head scalding his skin and melting off the stickiness. He stepped out and dried himself. He caught sight of himself in the mirror, saw a man he did not know. He touched the mirror and traced the planes of his face that were his, yet were not. These eyes. His father's eyes. Shiki grimaced. His mother loved his eyes. Over and over again, she re-told him that they were just like his father's. Unfathomable and secretive. But from what time he had spent with his father, Shiki sometimes wondered whether there was anything really to love about that man. He walked out of the bathroom and headed to his bed, slipping on bottoms before laying in bed.

Kuran Rido, his father? Did he love him?

Shiki pulled the bed covers over his body.

After everything that man had done? He always blamed him for ruining his mother and cursed the blood they shared. No, there was no love. He hated him, yes, but there was never any love involved. Sometimes, Shiki wondered there was much love within him to begin with.

This kind of thinking made heaviness of his eyelids inevitable. Kai's face flashed across closed eyelids and Shiki wished he didn't have to see her tomorrow. He knew it was impossible.

Then, he drifted off to sleep…

The Next Day…

Morning had come, the sun high at noon and blinding to those who didn't have the right protection. Sitting snug and away from rays dreadful to a male model's skin, Shiki downed a tall fruit punch on the deck. He fiddled around with hisleather strap watch.

_It's too early to be awake... It's only te__n. That a__nnoying __girl…_

**FLASHBACK**

The sun was starting to come up, urging Shiki to quickly hide under the many covers of his sheets. He had never liked to wake up early. It was just a horrible thing for him to do. But wait….no, he had to get up now.

Why?

He needed to do his business.

Shiki took his time flipping off the covers and took twice as long staring up at the ceiling until he gathered the willpower to face the light and sit up in his bed. Swaying for a bit before swinging his legs over to the side, the bed head clutched the sided to keep still. He presumed that the mild ebbing of a headache was one of the side effects of a hang-over. It then took Shiki another half a second to realize there was a woman occupying a chair at the opposite side of the room.

"What...?" His voice was rough. "What are you doing here...?"

Kai shrugged, twirling a blonde strand of hair in between her middle and index finger.

"Watching you sleep." She acknowledged in a straightforward style as if it were completely normal for a woman to be in a healthy man's room, watching him sleep.

_'__Of course, __how is __that weird…__'_ Shiki thought sarcastically but then Kai's statement properly registered in his mind.

He looked at her again and frowned.

"Scary…"

_**END OF FLASHBACK**_

THAT had frustrated him. But what really took the cake was what Kai had said before leaving.

"See you later, _cousin_." Her eyes as she said those words were chilly and as cold and hard as ice.

"Shut up…" Shiki replied to her voice that was replaying in his ears. He'd known her for only a day, and already, she knew how to push his buttons.

"Shut up who?" Ichijo studied Shiki's face which had a vacuous expression.

"Are you okay?" Ichijo pressed a hand against Shiki's forehead.

"No." replied Shiki, waving it off.

"Are you sure?"

Shiki sighed and then turned on his side, facing the fruit punch that stood tall and half-full on the table stand. Or was it half-empty?

_Actually…._

"No."

"Ah, I see."

And that was probably all that Ichijo was going to get from him. He sat in the adjacent lounging chair.

"Where are the others?" Shiki asked, his voice muffled as he turned on his stomach and stuffed his face in the cushion.

"Somewhere...I think Ruka and Kain are somewhere together...and Aido...he..." Ichijo trailed off, absorbed in a thought that had just occurred to him. _'__Hmm….I hope Aido can understand my directions this time…__'_

**OTHER SIDE OF THE BOAT WITH A DESPARATE AIDO**

"AHHHHH! Where the hell is the Gucci shop? And how the hell do I turn right when there's nothing but water? ICHIJO!"

**Back with Ichijo…**

_Did someone call my name?_


	3. Ch3: A Small Complication

**Chapter 3: A Small Complication**

How did he end up walking with her?

Shiki stuffed his hands into his hooded sweater and speculated on what he had done to deserve this.

Kai was thinking the same thing. Ahead of them, Kai recognized Ichijo talking to the other blond-haired boy, Aido. They were talking about cold fusion or something. But she was uninterested and noticed Ruka and Kain.

She thought. '_Hmm, those two__...__'_

The elegant Ruka had been extremely friendly last night. And Kain, the tall fierce-looking man, always seemed to have to take care of the irresponsible Aido. But right now, he was talking to Ruka in a low whisper, a blanket of hushed secrecy surrounding them. Believing them to be intimate with each other, Kai found that once again, this was not a topic of interest.

Really, was there nothing else to look at?

She hurriedly sneaked another covert look at Shiki as they followed the others along the boardwalk.

Did he really know?

Panic had gripped her heart last night, and did so once again. She forced herself to calm down. It wouldn't help panicking in front of the only person who could have an inkling of who she really was. What would he think though? He couldn't suspect otherwise; his own mother had named her his cousin. This train of thought led her to Rido. The thought of him made her lose hold of Osawa Kai and revert back to Toya Rima.

A memory arose and forced Rima to remember what brought her here in the first place. It was an imprint, planted in her mind's eyes with the vividness of a yesterday...

A package had arrived at her doorstep the night after the murder. It was sealed and with no given return address, Rima handled it with care. She held the cream coloured envelope in her hands and she remembered the foreboding feeling that overcame her the minute she opened the flap. Still devastated, she hardly noticed the small piece of paper that had slipped out and fallen to the ground.

With trembling fingers, she read the content of the paper. Her eyes had scanned over the words, mind committing them to memory as she had tried to make sense of the elegant script. She recognized it as a birth certificate of some kind, her eyes stopping on a bolded string of words. It was a name she didn't know but something had seemed amiss…

The information had been all hers. The eye and hair colour, the weight, height and even the date of birth was the same. But the name? It made no sense.

Osawa Kai.

At that moment, her eyes had caught sight of the smaller slip of paper. She had let the paper in her hands slip to the floor.

Something mysterious had compelled her to read it.

**_Toya Rima,_**

**_I've enclosed certain paper__s__ that may, in the future, become of some importance to you… I hope that we will be able to meet one another and __when fate allows it, __finish our business. Also, I would like to offer my condolences for the loss of your__mother__, __Hana. She was an acquaintance__and perhaps, had knowledge of things she should not have had__. _**

**_Sincerely,_**

**_Kuran Rido_**

**_P.S. _**

**_Please do not worry too much__ about your sister, she is in good hands__. She gives you her regards. __One day, you may meet,__ well and alive. _**

It was by those words, and the contents of the certificate and the existence of other papers, that had allowed her to come as far as she did, an imposter acting the part of a girl who had never existed.

"_**Aido**_..."

Rima bumped into Ruka who had suddenly stopped. She looked up questioningly but Ruka was too focused on Aido. Something must have happened again. If there was one thing Rima had not expected was the frequency of .

Ruka had started to take a few steps towards Aido, a gleam in her eyes. Aido grinned, holding his ground.

_'Come and get me.'_ Aido's lips twisted and a fang peeked from underneath luscious flesh.

Ruka flexed her fingers. Her steps became lighter, longer as she flew across the floor now. The distance between them was becoming alarmingly small. Kai watched this exchange closely, having never seen two vampires fight. She could learn from this.

Her eyes zoned in on Aido whose smile began to become more and more feral yet still, strangely retained its smugness. Lips finally moved once Ruka was only a few steps away from him.

"Gotcha."

Sigh. Aido and his adorable conceit.

At that exact moment, ice materialized at Aido's feet and began to rapidly spread across the lacquered deck at a disturbing rate until the whole floor was covered with glistening frost. The ice was centimetres thick and covered an impressive radius. However, Ruka, quick to react, had enough momentum in her sprint to jump into the air above Aido and Ichijo and gracefully settle onto a chair to the side.

Ichijo, not even bothering to react, soon found his feet encased in a layer of the frozen ice.

"Cheater!" Ruka yelled.

"You knew it was coming." Aido pointed out. Taking her silence as her assent, he continued talking, "Then why are you so pissy?"

Ruka responded by whipping her hair out of her face and smiling a Cheshire cat grin.

"Of course _**I**_ expected that to happen. You use the same ruse every single time." She rolled her eyes and then said, "But what about the others? Did you bother to tell _**them **_that it was coming?"

Aido became aware of the fact that her words were annoying but true. Kain, Ichijo and even Shiki and his hushed cousin had not reacted to his ice and were frozen in place. Kain caught his eye and Aido was forced to avert his gaze, discomfited.

"Aido…" Kain grown. The latter cringed at the coarse sound and one could almost see a dog's tail insert itself in between his legs. "Could you please not involve us next time?"

"There won't be a next time once I'm through with him." Ruka offhandedly remarked as she inspected her perfectly manicured nails with glittering eyes. Aido scoffed and Ruka jumped down from her post to the slippery ice.

"That's enough! My feet are starting to feel numb and I really don't have any plans on spending this cruise in my room, nursing black feet…" Ichijo interrupted, visibly shivering as the ice gleamed around them from the sun's light. Despite the complaint, it looked like he was enjoying this one-of-a-kind experience. "I mean, look at Kai and how pale she is already! Practically blue!"

On one hand, Kai's skin indeed had turned a lighter shade of pale, just not because of the ice. Rather, she was in awe of the sheer _openness_ of the act. It dawned on her that many vampires possessed powers. After being surrounded be humans for so long, she had forgotten.

Kai had never used her ability to that extent. Her mother had warned her not to. Humans would be frightened. The only exception had been Miyako who had took everything in stride.

_'__Miyako…__'_

_It was a memory long ago. _

"Miyako, do the laundry." A fifteen year old Rima ordered, dressed casually in baggy sweatpants and a simple plain white tee. Miyako, a gangly and shorter nine year old, pouted and shook her head in defiance.

"No." Miyako stated, her eyebrows knitted together as she eyed the gray basket full of unfolded laundry. Disdain was in her eyes. "I don't want to."

Rima narrowed her eyes and suddenly sparks began to flicker along Miyako's feet, sending tiny shocks through her unprotected legs.

"Miyako…"

Playfully, Kai made the sparks jump higher until they were shooting up past Miyako's waist….while her human sister jumped up and down, trying to make the snips stop. Finally she couldn't take it anymore and stamped out of the room, yelling at the top of her lungs for the only person who could protect her from her older sister's wickedness.

"Ow! OW! Rima! STOP IT! MOM!"

Rima sent one last spark at her sister's behind and gave a low chuckle as her sister glowered at her one last time before disappearing from view.

"MOM! Rima's being MEAN!"

"Again?" A chiming laughter filled the lively house….

_And the sweet memory ended there, all too briefly. _

"Shiki, do you mind doing the honours?" Ichijo pointedly looked down at the ice with an expectant beam.

"Why do I have to do it?" Shiki replied, going down into a squatted state with his chin resting in the palm of his hand.

"Just do it." Kai answered in Ichijo's stead though she really was in no hurry.

Shiki, after staring up at her, lost interest and went back to poking at the icicles around his legs.

"No." He said without hesitation.

The others sighed in unison. Knowing Shiki, the "do-it-at-my-own-pace" person that he was, it would take quite a long time to persuade him to do anything remotely helpful right now.

"He's no help. I'll do it." Kai announced in a soft voice, thinking that this was a perfect opportunity to get on everyone's good side.

Everyone faced Kai, even Shiki's ears could have been seen perking up at the mention of action.

"I bet she'll make it worse." Shiki carried on with poking away at the ice with his finger.

"Go ahead, let's see what you can do." Aido said, apparently amused at Kai's offer. "It's some pretty solid ice."

Kai sent him a cool look and he backed off, pretending to zip his mouth up and lock it. Kai took a deep breath and focused a smidge of energy at the base of her feet. Another breath to calm herself down was taken. Another breath. And then another. The next second, her eyes flew wide open and there was a crackling sound as a massive crack formed from her feet and then began splitting the ice into two, making its way to Ichijo who was a good ten meters away. Electricity flashed and flickered as it spun intricate web-like patterns across the ice.

A sigh of relief emitted from Ichijo who was grateful that he could actually wiggle his toes again. He was even more happy to see that they were not black. He grinned and Kain gave Kai a wave to signal his thanks. Aido and Ruka were unusually quiet.

"That's awesome, Kai! Just as useful as yours, right Shiki?" Shiki had his back turned to him. Rolling his eyes, Ichijo stepped out of the ice and casually threw a sharpened icicle at the back of Shiki's head. Ichijo saw his friend exhale and right before the icicle made contact, it shattered into multiple shards that clattered in a tinkling fashion across the wet floor. Kai closed her eyes. She re-opened them and saw that Shiki, in the end, had turned around to face them. With a red whip-like object attached to his finger that gave the impression that it was more liquid than solid.

_'__What__...__?__'_

"Shiki…easy with the shards. What are you doing anyways? Kai should've….oh…"

Ichijo noted the lone island of ice that still held Shiki's feet in place. He tried to conceal his laughter but a few sniggers escaped, causing Shiki to scowl.

Subsequently, he directed his gaze at Kai took pleasure at the sight. He swiftly lifted his hand and brought it down with such force, the ice broke. Kai was prepared to shield her eyes again but….they never came. Eyes flickered wide and Kai was witness to actual steam rising up from the ice on the floor. Shiki casually slung the crimson whip over his head. A coppery smell filled the air as it continued to rotate. Slowly the whip grew shorter with each revolution and before it finally disappeared into the tiny prick hole in Shiki's finger, Kai had figured it out. It was really simple actually. Her cousin could form a whip from his very blood. How cool.

Yeah right.

"Sorry." Kai muttered as Shiki swept away with his hand a few pieces of the remaining ice that hadn't melted off his shoulders. He ignored her and Kai felt herself bristle at his indifference.

"You don't like me?" She suddenly heard herself asking. "I'm your cousin."

"Doesn't matter."

"Why?" She pressed on.

No reply. So he really was suspiscious...

"...How?"

A low caress tickled her inner ear, causing her to tremble in an unusual way. She had missed some words and he moved away before she could determine how close they had been. There was no time to think though. A man clad in black grabbed her arm and pulled. This surprised everyone, even Shiki, indicated by the slight constriction of his pupils, seemed taken back. And oddly enough, he and the rest had bowed their heads in respect. Kai looked up at the person. She did not recognize him.

"Grandfather….what is the meaning of this?" Ichijo stepped forward, no more carefree but still smiling.

_'__Ichijo's relative.__...this must be Ichio, head of the Council.' _

"I am here on behalf of the Council, Ichijo." The older man explained sternly in a dominant voice.

"Why?"

"Takuma. That is business that only those related and the Council may know."

_'__Then what if I ask?__'_ Kai opened her mouth but a look from the older man and she thought better of it. Why not just keep quiet for a while? She reasoned with herself. She might be able to learn something about Rido if she went along with this man, wherever he planned on taking her. The man twisted his grip on her arm and readjusted it so that he was holding onto her wrist. For appearance purposes, she guessed. It obviously did not seem appropriate to drag a woman along by arm.

"I will see you later." Ichijo's grandfather began to walk away with Kai in tow but a voice behind them stopped his.

"Ichio-sama." Ichio faced the one who had called out his full name.

_Shiki…_

"Senri?"

"I'm her cousin. Will you tell me?" Shiki spoke flatly, eyes half drooping. It looked like he was about to fall asleep again.

He called her cousin? But just now...?

Ichio said, "We would just like to know of her whereabouts these past years."

"Why?" Shiki pushed forward, unexpectedly determined to get a straight answer.

"Possible deception, this is in case she is not your cousin."

Just like that, Ichio pulled Kai away from the group.

_'__It's over__?'_ She thought numbly. She felt cold. It had not been even a full day and she had failed? What the fuck was this. She made a fist behind her back and bit her lip.

_It's really over…_

No, she wouldn't let it.

Ichio.

She began to plan. If she could just hit his vital points...


	4. Ch4: Saving Your Day

**Chapter 4: Saving You**

As of this moment, Kai had decided that the Council was a joke.

Here she was, sitting on a comfortable sofa in the corner, observing the old vampires talk amongst themselves. She had been worried for nothing. Why?

Because they had nothing.

It had been a long walk for her to get where she was now. Ichio had brought her to the northern most point of the ship. Kai imagined that maybe he planned to dispose of her right away instead of bringing her to the council. Alas, no such thing occurred. She was led to a door, 4 men surrounding the perimeter.

_'Guards...' _She thought.

The door led them further, down one flight of staircases and onto another where a lengthy hallway awaited them. This hallway narrowed to a brilliant white door. And behind that door was this room. This wasn't in the blueprints but they must be somewhere near the hull. Ichio had directed her to the sofa and taken his seat at the head of the long table at the centre of the room. Men and women alike between their mid fifties to sixtires were seated across from each other (No one would ever guess that they were over a couple centuries). Normally, one would think that a person impersonating another would be a little scared. Not Kai. No sir, not her. She was just resigned to giving the cushions near her a few more fluffs.

And though she couldn't see them and them, her, she could still hear the. The Council made no efforts in their criticism of her.

"She has Amaya's eyes . And if her eyes are like Amaya's, they are the same as her twin's."

"Regardless of relation, Amaya has already set her heart on that girl being her niece. Rido-sama also recognized that girl as his niece."

"But do we really know if Rido-sama has even met her?" An oily voice suggested. "There has been a record of Amaya's instability."

"Perhaps you should ask your niece herself, Katsuo."

The member named Katsuo was snide. "Perhaps."

"And ask for the papers that were recovered. Rido-sama must have looked over them."

"If Rido-sama says they're fine, we'll accept this as fact."

There were then mumbles of agreement.

Rido-sama this, Rido-sama that. Everything revolved around the pureblood. She zoned in and out of the conversation but it seemed that the same points were being tossed around about her being a fraud or not, those same points coming back to the topic of Rido-sama's verification being needed. Kai was strangely displeased that they had not even asked her questions about her origins. She wouldn't have given them a straight answer but it could have at least given a reason for being here. Compared to being stuffed in here, she'd much rather be outside.

There was a sound to her left.

Kai located the source, a vent harrowed into the wall, the grill firmly bolted. Nothing out of the ordinary there but as Kai peered closer, she realized that the person that she thought she saw behind the metal bars was definitely not supposed to be there.

Shiki…

She stared for a couple of seconds and then shook her head, giving it a light tap of her fist. She must have been imagining his voice…and face for that matter. How weird….

"Pst!"

Kai didn't even bother looking; it was a waste of her time… it was just her mind playing games with her.

"PST!"

Strangely, her imagination was making the "psts" more aggravated.

Hmmm….the wonders of the mind…..

"Baka. Look. Over. Here."

Kai nearly smiled again. For the sake of indulging her imagination, she looked back down at the vent and stared. In disbelief.

The bolts had been mysteriously unscrewed and the metal grate was set aside neatly and noiselessly. And then she saw his head, a messy brown head that was halfway out the vent. And dang, did he look angry. That look was too real for her to just dismiss as imagination.

She looked over in the direction of the Council. They were still debating her case, so she turned and asked, "What are you doing here?"

Shiki lowered his eyes and grumbled something incomprehensible.

"What?" Kai whispered.

Cross at her hearing failure, he started to shift and move back inside the shaft.

"Saving you. Hurry up..."

But she wasn't going to let him get away that easily.

"Why?"

"Ichijo said that he'd take my pocky away…" Shiki offered grudgingly, his voice muffled in the vent already.

"Right." She curtly replied, casting one more look behind her before sneaking inside the vent shaft after Shiki feet first. Before completely going down the length of the shaft, Kai pulled the vent cover back in place and melded back in place with a small electric current. Satisfied, Kai followed after Shiki, finding him laying around at a T-intersection of the shaft and another . Once caught up with him, he was quick to get back up on his knees and guide her down the shaft.

"Where are we going?" She asked tentatively. She liked the silence but at the same time, she also would like to know where they were heading. Shiki looked back and seemed to mutter to himself, stopping in the middle of the shaft so abruptly that Kai almost got her face stamped on by his shoe. He reached for something in his pocket, normally a difficult thing to do in such a tight space, but he managed to do so, making it look easy. What he had taken out was a crumpled map of some kind which she saw was a map of some kind, littered with red arrows pointing in the most absurd directions.

"….Your room." Shiki pronounced before pocketing the paper again. Kai nodded her head, accepting the answer without complaint, and waited for him to continue.

**With the Council****…**

"Was the act convincing enough?" A voice spoke up a few minutes after Kai had escaped with Shiki through the ventilation shafts.

"Yes." Ichijo Asato, the head of the Council, leaned forward in his chair and locked his hands together on the table with a malicious smirk on his lips. "It's best she believes that we are ignorant about her origins."

"Such a pity though, losing Hana." Someone said. "If only she hadn't opposed Rido-sama."

"Do not make unnecessary comments."

"In any way, that girl left in a rush with that quiet boy. Senri, was it?" Katsuo yawned in response.

"Katsuo, at least try to remember the name of Rido-sama's son." Ichio sternly proposed.

The man bowed his head and said, "Yes, sorry. But to some degree, he is my neice's son. Allow me that slight discrepancy."

Ichio merely accepted the excuse and moved on the next matter that Rido had left for him to go through with.

"We have done what was requested of us."

He then stood up and faced the wall, back facing the others. "I trust that all of you know that nothing leaves this room."

He was met with silence and then resumed, "That being said, this meeting is now dismissed."

The head of the Council heard the slow shuffling of one chair and then another and then another. In due course, everyone had exited the room and it was only Ichio left behind. Only he knew what was to happen exactly to Toya Rima in the end.

_Pity that __the Toya women__ ha__ve__ to die so young..._ Ichio thought before turning around to leave the room.

Kai and Shiki had been crawling in the ventilation shafts for more than 10 minutes and finally, Shiki came to a stop when they saw an opening that lead to a familiar room.

_'__My room….__'_ Kai thought, trying to rub her knees. They ached from being scraped against the metal bottom of the shaft so much. '_Why __s__top__ here__? Isn't he going to open it?__'_

She was just about to voice her question aloud but then Shiki spoke, with the hint of a smile.

"Baka Aido, Ichijo's instructions were easy."

Shiki bit his finger and a string of blood floated out towards the grate opening. Kai watched from behind him in disclosed awe and waited as the blood's acidic-like properties melted away most of the bolts that were holding the vent cover on to the opening. Once the vent cover fell off, the two of them quickly scrambled out of the shaft and attached it back. Once that was accomplished, Shiki went straight for the door without saying anything.

For some reason, Kai wanted to tell him to wait. She didn't know what for though. She merely watched him open the door to her room like he was acting in a slow motion movie and the moment the door slammed, the significance of his departure dawned on her. As if her mind had just reactivated itself, two words delicately rolled off of her unmoving lips.

"…..Thank…you." Kai thanked the eerie silence of her room and paused. She promptly dropped down into her queen sized bed. She laid there, motionless like a broken doll whose strings had been cut off, but the gears in her mind were turning as she began to think of what her next move should be.

Outside of Kai's room, the rest of the vampires were happily enjoying themselves. Laughter and conversation could be heard in every aspect of the ship. In fact, it seemed to Shiki that there was no place where he couldn't hear someone joking about the current stock market values or having a heated discussion about how so and so looked after only purchasing a certain cream or whatever.

Not that he cared. He had planned to return to his rooms and gather some sleep but somehow, his feet had lead him back to the area where Kai was currently staying.

_That girl…_ Shiki scoffed and ignored some younger vampire girls who had the appearance of fifteen and fourteen year olds and were giggling just like humans too. If they had wanted acknowledgement, they were looking at the wrong man. Where's Aido when he needed him?

"Yo."

Shiki blinked and noticed Kain behind him, relaxed in a pair of khakis and open collared shirt.

"Yo?" Shiki replied dumbly, not knowing what else to say.

"So how'd it go?"

Shiki arched an eyebrow at Kain. "What went?"

"You know, that thing Ichijo had planned out for you." Kain pressed, wondering whether Shiki really had no clue. "With your cousin?"

Shiki simply shrugged his shoulders and began walking. Kain took a few steps to catch up with him and they were walking side by side through the corridors.

"I'll take it that it went well. Or maybe, you don't want to tell me?"

"Okay." Shiki muttered. '_Let's go with that...__'_

"SHIKI!"

It was the elder Shiki. Kain did not want to be part of whatever was going to happen so he quickly departed. In his experience, it was better to quit certain things ahead, before they got bad.

"Shiki! There you are! I've been looking for you everywhere!" Amaya, glorious and as carefree as ever, approached her son in knee high khaki pants and a turquoise blouse, looked stunningly attractive on the former movie star.

"Why?" Shiki replied shortly, already suspiscious.

"I forgot where Kai's room was and…"

'_Oh reallly?' _Shiki thought it strange.

"It's down this corridor. Take a left, door 42-something." Shiki said, swung around and hoped for a hasty escape. Unfortunately, his mother grabbed his shoulder.

"Not so fast! I'm busy right now- Oh wait! Touya-san! Don't forgot to send your sister my regards!" Amaya got sidetracked as she started greeting passing people...

"Anyways, could you do me a favor?"

_'__Do I e__ven__ have the option of refusing to do it?__'_ Shiki wondered. '_Look what happened the last time I did a favor...'_

"No."

"Of course, you can!" Amaya carried on brightly, like she had never even heard his refusal. Shiki swore she did it on purpose…

"All you have to do is give this to her! Just go to her room and drop it off will you? Not just in front of the door but actually go inside and chat for a while."

He had tried, and now given up. Who were they talking about again?

"Who?" asked the stoic Shiki.

Amaya laughed as if her son had just told the most hilarious joke. "Kai of course. Do you think that I would allow you to go into anyone else's rooms or for anyone else to enter her rooms."

"Right…" Shiki answered in a less enthusiastic voice.

"Here you go!" Shiki's mother dropped a light package wrapped in light brown paper into his outstretched arms and patted her son on the cheek lightly.

"What is it?" Shiki asked curiously, poking in random places at the package in an attempt to determine exactly what he was delivering to the girl.

"It's a secret." Amaya giggled with a cheeky look. Shiki didn't answer and Amaya's smile grew wider. "You'll find out soon enough."

Before leaving, Amaya paused and turned around. "By the way, we're planning on stopping by the Isles for a couple of days. Did you remember to pack your swimming trunks?"

"…."

Amaya grinned and took her leave without another word. Shiki noticed, before leaving himself, a woman come up to his mother and speak in a very rushed manner. He hung around for a few moments and watched his mother's face grow increasingly agitated and even angry as the other woman, whom he finally realized was her subordinate, relayed some kind of news to her. Unexpectedly, Amaya's hand struck the other woman, causing the other to stumble for a moment, clutching her face.

"I am sorry, Shiki-sama. She was taken before I could-"

"No excuses!" Amaya's harsh voice reminded Shiki of a time when he had insulted his father in early childhood. He had gotten slapped across the face exactly the same way as the subordinate had and knew from similar incidents that the tone of voice she was using now was a **extremely** restrained version of just a one hundredth of her anger at this moment. He wondered….what news could've possibly caused her to react like this.

"How could the Council do this without my consent? This is my ship until Rido returns! If my niece is concerned, so am I." She snarled, still restrained, but louder than before, almost hysterical from the thought.

Shiki left before he got too caught up with this mess his cousin's sudden appearance had brought about.

He wove his way through the corridors and arrived at her door in a handful of minutes. He rapped his knuckles against the solid wood of the door.

Silence.

Shiki raised his hand and gave another knock, one that was substantially louder than the first. But still, no answer. Was she purposely trying to test his patience again like when he had been forced to "save" her (used in Ichijo's own terms) from the Council "dark intentions" (again, another reference taken from Ichijo who had used it in his speech to convince Shiki to reclaim his cousin and set her free).

_'__I have my own suspicions about her mysel__f and __I'm sure Ichijo does too…yet why does he continue to stand up __for her?'_ Shiki contemplated as he shifted with irritation in front of the door.

.She!

Shiki knocked repetitively on the door as hard as he could without causing an indent in the wood.

He waited. For the last time.

A hopeless feeling overcame him and for the heck of it, Shiki reached down for the doorknob and turned it. Astonishingly, the door opened and soon enough, Shiki was inside.

"Hello?" Shiki narrowed his eyes as he walked in, searching for another body in the room but there was no one…. Or was there? He could sense her somewhere close. Then he began to hear noises that sounded like squeaks coming from the bathroom.

No wonder she couldn't open the door, she couldn't even hear him. Shiki moved towards the bathroom door and was about to knock….until the door was flung wide open and he had to swiftly jump back to avoid getting hit in the face. Light flooded into the larger room and so did flourishes of hot steam. He opened his mouth but never got to say a word because the moment Kai saw his shadow, she instantaneously began to initiate a full-blown barrage of whatever she could get her hands on in the bathroom.

Toliet papers, face towels and even a hair dryer came flying out of the bathroom. Shiki, reacting as fast a mouse to cheese, dodged the items and even managed to catch most of them in his hands while the package was tucked safely underneath his arm. He remained silent through this all and passed the time tolerantly until finally the barrage ended because he'd like to think she has run out of things to throw. He was surprised to see everything but the bathroom sink in his hands.

As he set whatever he had in his hands down, Shiki checked the package and was nearly as horrified as having bathroom items thrown at him once he saw its current state. It was ripped all over and he could even see inside a bit. Curious he peered through a particular rip that was wide enough for him to catch a glimpse of some sort of cloth. Intrigued, Shiki sadly looked up at the wrong time at Kai who apparently had one last thing to throw at her intruder.

Squeak.

He looked down at the rubber duck.

"Out." Fury coloured Kai's voice, Shiki just ineptly standing there with the package at hand.

"But this package…"

"Out." Kai repeated more severely.

"But this-"

"Out."

Starting to get fed up, Shiki dropped the package on the floor with a short muffled sound as it hit. "Here." He stated sharply.

As unrelenting as ever, Kai refused to stop insisting upon his exit.

"Out."

**Sigh.**

He had tried, hadn't he? Now when his mother asked him whether he had delivered and stayed for a while with this insufferably sadistic girl, he could say that he had. For at least ten minutes which may be stretching it a little bit but still…. Shiki began to tentatively move towards the door.

She stopped him even before he had come within five steps of it.

"Wait." Kai muttered, clutching the remains of the package in her left hand that she had ripped open and its contents in her right as she examined it closely. "What is this?"

"Don't know." Shiki faced her and his eyes widened. She had that cloth in her hands. There was also a small piece of paper that had a few scribbled words. It read:

_**Kai,**_

_**Hope you like it. The **__**co**__**lour made me think of you.**_

_**Shiki**_

Shiki had no idea what "it" was.

Why had she done this? Why him?

_S_he would never have done this without some egging on. Shiki's mind quickly jumped to the next guilty suspect and to no surprise, Ichijo's face came to mind, smiling a blameworthy grin.

"Is there something I ought to know about you?" Kai asked.

Shiki said the first thing that came to mind.

"I…hate pink."

Then he slammed her door a second time and left.

Confused, Rima threw the clothing on the bed and examined it. She doubted Shiki had personally wanted to give this to her. It was not like him at all.

Really, a branded swimsuit and her impression of that ignorant man did not match.

And for the longest time, she had always wondered about his statement of his hatred of pink.

She would have completely understood why he chose to say it at that time...if the swimsuit hadn't been a dark blue.


	5. Ch5: Hunger

**A/N:** Finally, new chapter~! :3 Enjoy haha

**Chapter 5: ****Hunger**

Now, she paced and forth in her room, clothed in jean shorts and a loose pullover that sagged around her tiny waist. Kai was lost in deep concentration but every now and then, she glanced at the object that was lying on top of her bed. The thing that Shiki had apparently given her...that thing...the bikini. It was cute without a doubt, with simple string straps; it was a lovely shade of blue. Coincidentally, it also was a perfect fit...not that she had tried it on. She just had a keen eye. She did not have any intention of wearing it in public however. She was going to return it the next time she saw him.

Really, the gall of him giving this.

What a joke.

Knock. Knock.

Kai tensed up, looking to the door.

That must be the Council.

Took them long enough to realize she was missing. What had they decided to do about her?

"Shiki? Are you in there?"

Knock knock.

It was Ichijo.

She took in a deep breath and kept silent. Maybe he would go away?

"I know you're in there, Shiki-chan!"

Damn, he knew?

Knock. Knock.

Another breath. She would just have to answer. She unlocked the door and before she could say a word, the shining blonde had sidestepped her and entered.

"So? What happened?"

"What?"

Ichijo then looked at the bed and pulled a poker face.

"I'm sorry about this morning. My grandfather was... The Council, they've decided to do nothing about your situation for the time being."

Ichijo turned a little sheepish. "Turns out Amaya-sama went absolutely livid when she found out."

Things were starting to look her way.

And it looked like he had more to say, all the while looking a little guilty. He looked to the bed. That had been the second time. Blanks started to fill in. And in a low voice, she said, "The bikini..."

Ichijo stiffened and rubbed the back of his head. He seemed embarrassed, more guilty.

"Heh….errr….what are you talking about? What bikini? Why would I…." He cut off, saw her unconvinced face and purposely avoided her eyes.

"Ahh…well, I may have suggested an idea…" He peeked at her now. She wasn't buying it, so he immediately backtracked, "Or two! You know…to your aunt…."

"So, it wasn't Shiki's idea?" Kai asked.

"No…" Ichijo admitted with a chuckle. "I mean, he isn't the sort to give gifts to people like that. I thought it was so cute that he wanted to come in and check on you."

_'__So you were watching?__'_

The unspoken question hovered between them and then Ichijo broke it by clearing his throat rather loudly.

"Ahem! Anyways, besides that, I came to visit you for another reason. Just a heads-up. We'll be docking at Horie in another day or so."

"Horie?"

What was that? An island? It wasn't in the ship's' sail plan. It was probably a hidden property.

"Horie Isles? You've never..?"

Registering Kai's blank look, Ichijo discovered her ignorance. "Well, they're a string of islands that's belonged to Shiki's family for a long time. I guess, since you just returned, you didn't know. It's not really advertised to the public."

Kai only shrugged. "Anything else?"

"Actually, I was heading for dinner now! Care to join me?"

She shook her head and now it was Ichijo's turn to shrug. He was halfway out the door before he hurriedly popped his head back in and said, "By the way, I heard that…well, I had actually _**overheard**_ this from Amaya-sama outside talking to my grandfather that…." He broke off and cleared his throat again, hesitating for some reason. Biting his thumb in between of his teeth, he continued on saying, "Anyways, I heard that you might be able to meet Rido-sama once we reach the Isles. I'll see you later!"

Ichijo darted out without a backward glance.

Kai laid against an empty wall and closed her eyes, trying to visualize what Ichijo had dumped on her. Rido.

What was she going to do? It depended on where they met. Hopefully, a quiet place with no one around. She had expected to meet him on the ship. But this news of the islands...she would be unfamiliar with the territory. Either way, she would have to think of a way to get him alone. First she'd have to separate from the guests and guards. And then...

This was going to take the entire night.

**THE NEXT NIGHT…**

The sun's radiant colours blended beautifully with its dying shadow, reflected in the the calm surface of the Atlantic. Kai thought it breath-taking. The hair whipped across her face but it was not troublesome. It was more calming.

Blood red. Sunset had never looked so beautiful.

Kai moved away from the railing.

It would be a lie if she said blood held no appeal for her. It was a luxury, not a necessity.

It would always made her throat tighten in yearning.

Right at that moment, Kai's stomach growled. Blood would have to take a backseat for now. It was time to hunt for some food. She headed straight for the buffet in the grand hall, providing a full layout of food that stretched the length of the floor. Walking up alongside it, Kai surveyed the food and searched for something that suited her hard-to-please taste.

_'__Nothing, there's nothing.__'_ She thought incredulously, her stomach growling again, hungry for nourishment. None of this food (no offense) appealed to her. Kai slumped into a nearby seat and rubbed her stomach harshly. Maybe if she just ignored it for a little while, the hunger would go away? She took her hand off of her stomach and...

_Sigh._

Where else could she get food?

A sign from heaven appeared in a door opening. A whiff of air blew past her nose and immediately, she knew the answer.

Off to the kitchen.

Practically gliding across the floor with the lightest steps imaginable, even faster than Ruka, Kai reached the kitchen entrance within a single breath. She sniffed the air again and caught the scent of the only food item that had the ability to calm her stomach down...and also satisfy her sweet tooth. She took another deep breath and walked through the door, the epitome of composure. The people working in the kitchens barely looked up at her as she entered but as her own particular fragrance began mixing in with the bustling environment; their heads lifted up and turned as she moved past them towards the source of that delightful smell that had probably just saved her from near starvation.

_Sniff._

Stop.

She had not expected to see a dark-haired man sitting cross legged on the floor. He was making crunching sounds, Kai's stomach emitting another rumble in reply. His pure long sleeved shirt definitely helped him blend in with the mass of chefs who were wearing the same colours but his black choker and tan checkered pants were not as inconspicuous. Kai bit back a smile before tapping the man on the shoulder.

She should have known.

And was not surprised by the dark look he sent her considering the way she had reacted. After a while, she had realized that that might not have been the best thing to do, knowing that Shiki had been on the whole, innocent.

"Hi." She forced herself to meet his eyes with an even stare of her own.

There it was, the snack she had been craving. How ironic was it that it had been the thing she had bribed him with.

Shiki followed Kai's eyes as she stared at the strawberry pocky and he protectively grabbed it and placed it in between his legs. Ichijo had told him to trust her.

But no one was touching his pocky.

He studied her and Ichijo's face popped into his mind. Repeating "Trust her", "Trust her". What did that have to do with his pocky damnit?

Sigh.

He was just too kind for his own good.

He picked out three strawberry pocky and placed them in his mouth, savoring the sweet flavour that had first got him hooked on the popular snack. He bit of a huge piece of the three and then held out the box towards Kai with his hand.

"Do you want some?" He asked simply. Kai didn't move and Shiki began to withdraw his hand, wondering if he had misunderstood her actions. And then he saw her hand stretch out and hastily grab three pocky sticks in her hand. Shiki glanced down into the box and counted. Two more. One for him and one for her, he guessed. She better not take both of them.

There was a piece of the strawberry cream left on the side of her lip and Shiki pointed at her face, not caring if it was rude or not.

"There."

"What there?" Kai questioned, taken back that he was now pointing at her face. Was there something on it?

"There." He pointed at the exact same place as Kai tried to wipe off whatever it was. She rubbed in the wrong place and looked to him again curiously. Shiki shook his head and stood up with a fluid grace.

"There."

"Here?"

He shook his head.

"There?"

"Here?" Kai rubbed at another spot on her face, getting fed up with guessing where it was.

"No. You're hopeless." Shiki sighed and took another pocky out of the box and bit on it. Kai, giving up and just randomly rubbing at every aspect of her face, eyed the last strawberry pocky in the box and wondered if she was allowed to take it…

Shiki noted her hesitation and proffered the box to her. Her eyes lit up. She grabbed the last pocky stick and amused, Shiki threw away the empty box into the nearby garbage can.

A loud horn blew from above them. The whole ship vibrated with the intensity of the horn's volume but soon it passed and the quiet atmosphere returned.

"ARE YOU PSYCHOTIC!"

A deafening voice nearly shattered the glasses and dishes in the kitchen and even Shiki and Kai cringed at the high pitched sound.

_'__Aido…__'_ They both thought simultaneously.

"I don't think so." A cool voice replied.

That had to be Ichijo. Who else could carry on such a friendly tone after that?

"I could've melted like vampires in those stupid shojo mangas that you make me read!"

"But you didn't." Ichijo pointed out, manoeuvring around a kitchen counter to wave at the two cousins.

"But I could've!"

"Could've, would've, should've…." Ichijo said in a sing-song voice, obviously having fun.

Shiki rolled his eyes, ignoring the two and their banter, and said, "Finally, we're here."

"Where?" Kai asked.

"Horie Isles."


	6. Ch6: Smile

**Chapter 6: Smile**

Kai was on the deck now, leaving behind Shiki and the rest in the kitchen. Aido was probably still complaining. She didn't know how Shiki had known they had arrived, but now she had just confirmed it with her own eyes. It appeared that this piece of property was made up of several different islands, flora and fauna changing from one area to the next. The first few that the Silver Whisper had passed were flat, barren and windswept.

Ichijo had told her that they were named "Étoile", "Vivant", and "Montagne".

And then he told her he had made them up.

As the ship traveled past these smaller islands, she began to see that they were progressively growing larger in size and life. After passing two more vivacious islands, "Soleil" and "Lune", which like its predecessors, were named completely at the whim of Ichijo.

Soon, they approached "Crepe". (Ichijo was getting hungry...)

Crepe had a completely different atmosphere compared to the other islands. The moon hung over their heads, its eerie radiance illuminating immaculately white sands. The waves were ghostly shapes moving about the shore and frolicking at low tide, tempting, calling. The ship glided around the island, docking at the harbour around the back. The water lapped against its sides, the water was so clear, just begging for someone to take a dip in its balmy waters. She eyed the palm trees, wondering. If those palm trees were closer to the shore line...they looked tall enough for her to reach out and caress their arms. Kai scrutinized the rest of the island and found that atop its rolling hills what looked like a five-star resort. The building was simple and long, a beacon of blazing lights at the end of a trail of lanterns that led from the beach. During this time, the ship slowly came to a full stop.

"Kai, let's head out first!" Kai's hand was grabbed out of nowhere and she found herself pulled along by Ruka towards the bridge that had already been laid out to the dock. They ran across it, their sandals tapping loudly. They reached land, Ruka finally letting go as she breathed in the island breeze, flushed with a lovely pink. Kai offhandedly thought of what this girl's blood would taste like and suspected it might give her diabetes.

"Gomen, I dragged you quite a way without asking if you..." Ruka took a breath to refresh herself. "It's just...It's been a long time for someone like me...like us I mean," Ruka added, looking pointedly at Shiki and the others who were taking their time coming. "We don't have many oppurtunities to go out."

"But you're rich." Kai pointed out rather stupidly.

"I think I know that." Ruka retorted wryly, still maintaining her brilliant smile. "But you have to understand, that still doesn't equal freedom."

Kai didn't respond. She didn't want to understand. Understanding meant forming a connection, and connections were just too hazardous to have.

Metres away, Aido set foot on the island, and when he did, the whole island knew. The girls could not mistake his complaints for another's. "Ahhh! It's so hot! WHY?"

Kain was behind him as he neared the girls, rolling his eyes and pulling roughly on the turtle neck that his cousin was wearing, nearly choking Aido. The red-faced idol slapped away his hand away with some force and scrunched up his face. "Then why did you wear the turtleneck? Does this look like the Arctic to you?" Kain asked.

Aido bristled. He was a certified genius. The arctic was approxiamately 31,684.24 miles away, give or take a couple of inches. He was the genius of geniuses, he reassured himself, and pointed a finger at Ichijo who just happened to innocently appear standing beside Kai, Shiki in tow. "He told me that it was going to be cold out here!"

"Me?" Ichijo pointed up at himself and grinned. Shiki, who had changed from his pants and into cargo shorts that had a similar checkered pattern, was distracted as he watched the other people on board pass them. He instinctively bobbed his head up and down in acknowlegement, the blank look in his eyes obviously indicating that he had no idea who most of these people were. Some habits were hard to break.

"Which tells you what, Aido?" Ruka chided. She took her shoes off. The feel of thousands and thousands of grains of sand sinking in between her toes was warm and sensually delicious.

"He shouldn't listen to Ichijo anymore." Shiki interjected, looking away from the thinning line of the passengers from the ship as the bulk of them were being pushed into the resort. "He makes things difficult." Though a master of facial expression, Shiki's stab at humor did not go unnoticed.

"Shiki…" Ichijo mourned. "I feel a little hurt right now."

Ruka laughed. "I was just going to say that Aido is just plain stupid. But that just might be true too."

Shiki shrugged. Kai was quiet, like in most conversations they had. Everyone was so familiar with each other, had bonds she never had with others. If things had been different...she could have been a part of them.

She stiffened when she felt arms wrap around her neck. "Shiki-channnnn, what do you think of the island?"

"That looked awkward, Ichijo." Aido whistled.

"Ruined such a sweet moment…" Ruka sighed. "Your immaturity has once again revealed itself."

"And I've told you before, no one likes a suck-up." Aido replied. Ruka kicked sand at him which Aido dodged.

"Missed me." He retaliated by kicking some back at her and Ruka shouted when some went down her blouse. Aido quickly took off in the direction of the resort with Ruka hot on his tail.

"Either way, he suffers.." Kain said, also starting to walk towards the resort.

"Hm?" Ichijo asked.

"Turtleneck." Shiki muttered, in the process of rolling up the long sleeves of his shirt. "He's forgotten already."

Ichijo laughed. "That means Ruka might have a chance catching him this time." He peered down at his watch, and blew a long whistle. "I guess we should get going too."

He made after Kain. Shiki and Kai watched Ichijo slap the unsuspecting man on the back….hard.

"You should go." Kai said.

Shiki sent a questioning look but she wasn't even looking at him. He followed her gaze and for a while, all they did was stare at the waves. They listened to the other's breathing. They listened to the the rise and the fall of the waves, rushing against the sand.

"This is nice." Kai said, her voice soft as the velvet sky. She didn't want to break the silence between them but at the same time, felt that she could not bear with it any longer. Her voice was the last thing she heard and she sensed the slightest movement from behind her. Kai pressed on by asking, "Do you come here often?"

He coughed. "No. My mother does."  
He wanted to go back but Kai had already said something else.

"How does it feel?" She saw his expression and knew that he didn't understand. "To still have a mother..."

After the year that felt like thousands, hardening herself had left her with hollow recollections.

Shiki didn't answer immediately. It didn't feel like she was asking him, more like she was asking herself. Did she still want him to answer?

"I would miss her if she left." Shiki murmured.

"...I see."

Dark clouds had drifted above without them noticing, the two of them only doing so when fat droplets of rain began to fall on their heads. At the flip of a coin, it turned chilly and the waves no longer as appealing as before. However, neither reacted nor moved to take cover. A contented silence had fallen along with the rain.

Kai couldn't remember the way things were before her mother had died and Miyako's disapppearance besides the few instances. She could recall the memories, their faces and voices with astounding clarity. But the feelings were imitations of something she had lost. Had they been happy? What had that felt like?

Shiki was lucky; Amaya-sama was still with him.

Kai laid a hand across her chest. Was something wrong with her? A pang, twinge, clench in her chest.

The rain poured over her head and soaked through her hair, her clothes, her body. She opened her arms a little bit and lifted her head to face the sky, drops pelting her face. This felt like the calm before the storm, it really did. Soon she would meet Rido. Her blood curdled. She didn't realize the extent of her rage, didn't realize the immediate reaction of her fangs baring themselves and puncturing sweet flesh until she tasted blood.

Shiki was watching her closely and for a second, his eyes revealed something that was akin to concern. Kai wanted to laugh. It was a trick of the eye. Regardless of its meaning, once she dealt with Rido, the only way he would see her was as a murderer.  
The fluttering, the irrational thumps of her heart, the feeling right now. Why does he look at her with those eyes?

Not once has he looked away.

Something told Shiki that he couldn't have averted his eyes even if he wanted to. He wouldn't dare. His eyes roamed across her face, running over smooth planes, sharp contours and babyish cheeks. Her face held no imperfections, a marble bust, with only one thing that bothered him. That face, it would be as cool to the touch as so many of vampires' skin were. Was it ice or blood that ran through her veins? A predator by nature, he could not help but notice how her pulse quickened ever so slightly when he stared straight at her neck. His ears became attuned to the beats of her pulse, delightful tha-thumps.

Blood.

Starlight-woven hair flowed down and framed the slender curvature of her neck. Droplets glistened like fireflies against a translucent, radiant backdrop.

Delicious.

Supple.

If he could just move in closer, just pin her hands down before she could react...

Desire.

Lust. For her blood.

The intensity shook him.

Shiki recognized the loosenings of his self-control and reined in his thoughts. Any other time he would not care and let loose without a second thought. But this was a first, and this was Kai.

She was so much like himself. Was it because they were cousins?

The wind grew louder and the waves were climbing, taller and closer to where they stood. The disappearing shoreline would soon cover the wet sand beneath their feet. Kai took his hand. He gave it up easily and followed. She took him under the cover of a nearby grove. Layers of leaves upon leaves would protect them, if only for a little while; the rain was getting heavier and heavier. They stood there, side by side but Kai had broken eye contact. She leaned against a tree, but was not saved from the rain's onslaught. Every time a drop ran down her neck, she jerked to the side. It didn't occur to her that after several times of jerking, Shiki was smiling. It was small but distinguishable from his normal expressions. It was guarded but a smile nonetheless.

She found herself wishing he would smile more. She closed her eyes tightly and turned around. Since when had she wanted such things...

The rain continued to fall.

Shiki promptly sat down on the sand, ignoring its wetness, and instead feeling comfortable, at peace. Cautious words, words that were used to keep himself safe. Because there was more that he wanted to say. But that was too much. He could not deal with that.

This was wishful thinking.  
And those words, they would keep them safe from each other. They were perfectly ok by themselves.

"We should go back." Kai whispered, and without waiting, marched out into the rain alone. Fifteen minutes later, the pair arrived at the resort. They were cold by the time they came through the entrance, Kai sneezing through dank hair, overlooking the aesthetics of the place. Shiki's expression was severe, trying to hold back coughs. And it grew more dismal when the two of them saw what awaited them in the lounge area. It was the rest of the group, towels in hand and scowls on their faces.

"Took you long enough!" Aido got up from the sofa he had been laying in and threw towels at both their heads. They silently began to start rubbing their faces and hair.

Kai sniffed, had they waited this whole time? She found Ruka who was keeping both hands behind her back. Curious, she caught a glimpse of the hooked stem of an umbrella. Ruka moved it out of sight and sheepishly turned away. Had she been about to...?

"I bet there's no more hot chocolate left in the dining hall now!" Aido grumbled as he started going up the flight of stairs that was in the middle of the lounge.

"Boo hoo." Ruka rolled her eyes. Aido stuck his tongue out at her and disappeared. Ruka then excused herself, saing something about checking out the spa treatments, futilely trying to hide the umbrella. Kai sneezed again and wiped her nose with the towel. She took a step back and bumped into Shiki. He was about to open his mouth but Kai gave him a look.

Ichijo then intervened. "Well, we better show you guys where your rooms are now!" He said loudly as he pulled Shiki along with him.

Kain looked at Kai and said, "I guess I better show you where your room is. Follow me."He started walking up the same stairs that Aido had taken. She watched Shiki be removed from her view and after some time, she strode after Kain. She trailed behind him as he guided her to her assigned room which happened to be located at the very end of the resort. Kain stopped in front of a door that was nearly at the end of the hall and looked pensive.

"Was it room five-five-six? Or wait…maybe it was five-five-nine?" He knocked on the door and waited to see if anyone would respond before taking a pass key from his pocket and sliding it into the door's handle. A laser beam scanned the card and then there was sounds of the door unlocking. Kain poked his head in. Moments later, he tossed the pass key to Kai and bade her good night before walking off.

She walked into the room and closed the door behind her. A packed bag was there, sitting innocently on by the side of her bed. Pulling the towel off, Kai located the bathroom at the corner of the room and at a snail's pace, went inside and turned on the faucet in the bathtub. She stripped herself of her clothes and flung them to the floor. She let the hot water pour onto her clammy skin and just stood there, for the longest time. She took advantage of the fluffy white robe provided and came out with newly-dried hair and a closed fan in her hands. She fell into bed, beginning to twirl it high above her head. Skillful fingers nimbly manipulated its rotation. With the fan, she drew looping circles and bizarre shapes in the empty space, her semi-conscious mind drifting far off to events long past.

Her moment suddenly grew sharp and lucid, a dark presence entering her mind. She was imagining seeing Rido beside her and she hurriedly moved forward and grabbed his neck, squeezing it aggressively before taking the closed fan and revealing a deadly tanko blade right before his eyes. That would be the moment when she would place the blade at one corner of his neck. She'd allow him to laugh, and then slowly slice the blade upwards until his crimson blood spills in torrents and his choking laughter is no more...

CRASH!

A loud ruckus outside in the hallway echoed and Kai was wrenched out of her sinful reverie. Voices and heavy footsteps could be heard for the first few minutes but at that very moment, Kai had realized that she had unconsciously unsheathed the tanto blade and was holding it in the exact same position she had envisioned in her thoughts.

The blade glinted maliciously in the moonlight that spilled through the parted opening in the curtains.

'It's still early to sleep...' She thought, glancing at the radio clock on the bedside, red numbers reading eleven fifty-eight. Kai placed the cool metal of the tanto against her cheek, sending anticipated goosebumps along her body. She lifted it in front of her again and examined its simple carved handle and the tiny ridges of the edge that had inscriptions written in a language long lost along it.

How had she come across it?

On a similar night, she had received it from the only relative to the man she was intent on murdering.

Kaname Kuran. The Pureblood Prince whose darkly handsome looks were as generous as his title.

It had been cold in her apartment that day and she remembered wondering whether she had left a window open or not. As it turned out, her window had been open. But she had not considered that someone would be sitting right by it.

"Osawa Kai." He had inquired.

She had been genuinely surprised, more due to who he was rather than what he was doing there. Her surprise had been rapidly replaced by guardedness.

"Kaname-sama, that name..."

"I apologize. Would you prefer Touya-san?"

"...Yes, but..."

"Excuse my intrusion, I wanted to offer my condolences on your mother's passing."

Those words had sounded so much like what Alexiel had written; it rendered her speechless. She stared at Kaname, guessing at his purpose. Could she even trust him? She sensed no ill intent, but he was still related to Rido.

"Thank you."

Kaname looked out the window at the full moon in the far distance.

"I have a proposal for you. I offer...this," He had held up to Rima a closed fan. Confused, she still reached for it. She took in every detail. Particularly the thin line that separated the fan into half.

"What do you want me to do?"

"Find Rido, and use it."

Rima nearly dropped the blade. An infinitesimal smile on his face, Kaname watched her.

"Kaname-sama, I-I don't understand."

She had known that if she said the wrong thing, she would be dead before she even met Rido. "He is your uncle."

"Yes," Kaname had looked out the window again, lost in his own hidden thoughts as Rima had tried to gather her own. When he faced Rima, a cold look had entered his eyes. "But he has done things I cannot forgive."

When she didn't answer, Kaname ran a hand through his hair and sighed.

"Touya-san, you must have known, the reason why your mother was murdered."

Rima had cringed, even though Kaname had not once raised his voice at her. She had trembled not because of fear, but because of the truth that rang in his words. The smart answer would have been "no" and deny knowing anything. It would have all been lies. But she couldn't, not when confronted like this.

"My mother…" She had started off, the words slowly forming on her lips. She was taking a huge risk divulging what she knew.

"She…was Juri-sama's friend… and I knew her and Haruka-sama. I knew of you too."

Kaname had nodded.

"My mom would go over to your house sometimes…I remember. She cared for your family...so when she found out that they were dead….She…" Rima had broke off in the middle of her sentence. "She investigated. She didn't believe it was suicide. Things led to Rido-sama. She told me not to worry about it, that she would go to the Council…but she never did. That night, he came for her."

"You can get your revenge." Kaname had stated simply.

"But Kaname-sama...wouldn't you...?" Rima had whispered at that moment, fearful of the consequences that taking the blade might entail. "He also killed-"

Kaname had cut her off. "I cannot."

Rima, still anxious, had thought of her mother. The memories that they had had and would never share. Courage boiled in her blood along with the bitter yearning for revenge. Then she had taken the blade and slit her palm, creating a tiny opening of blood that dripped on the sharp edge.

"Kaname-sama, I swear, with this blade that has tasted my blood, that there will be retribution."

Kaname had been stone-faced. "There will be consequences."

"I never thought there weren't any." Kai had replied plainly.

"You will have to give something precious in return to use this weapon."

"I am willing."

Kaname had merely nodded and walked back over to the window, brooding over something else.

"The maiden voyage of his new cruise ship, the Silver Whisper. He'll be expecting you."

"I won't disappoint him this time." Rima had replied curtly and then remembered her manners and bowed her head. "I will be prepared, Kaname-sama."

"Do you still have that letter he sent you?" Kaname had asked cautiously.

Rima had nodded, her head still bowed. "Yes…I've kept it with me always."

"You will have to introduce youself under that name too. Shiki-san will welcome you. Her son, my cousin, there is no need to hurt him. They know nothing."

Rima unexpectedly felt a light touch on her head and heard Kaname whisper as the wind outside blew in a strong gust.

"It is called Chronos. When you use it, it will..."

As Kai muttered in her sleep, her grip tightened around the chimera of a fan. Just like she had told Kaname, she was prepared.

Chronos.

_Time…_


	7. Ch7: Scattered Stars

**Chapter 7: Scattered Stars**

Noon was a horrible time for vampires to wake up. So why was it that Kai and the others found themselves in the lounge downstairs, hovering on the edge of sleep? How, they wondered, did they even get down here in the first place? Through half-closed eyes, Kai saw Kain and Ruka occupying a love seat, Ruka's head resting on his shoulder. Aido, she could hear from a mile away. She deliberated on whether she should tell him when he woke up that he snores. She heard footsteps and grunts from behind her and twisted to look over and spot Ichijo who was hauling a zombie-like Shiki.

"Good morning!" Ichijo asked. Three stood and mumbled greetings in reply. Aido, on the other hand, was still off in dreamland. Kain lightly tapped him on the head and instead of opening his eyes, Aido just groaned and flipped to his side. Kain tapped harder but Aido clumsily swatted him away.

"Bakayaro…wake up…" Kain's patience was wearing thin which was completely understandable, it was too bright to be awake. Everyone excluding Ichijo was either touchy or semi-conscious.

"Can I try?" Ruka asked. Usually, Kain wouldn't take her up on the offer. But he had already tried….. So, reluctantly he stepped aside. It wasn't his fault that Aido had decided to spend all night dancing and drinking every alcoholic concoction on the face of the earth. He sat back down in his seat and spotted Ichijo lowering Shiki into a chair, the younger one's head immediately lolling to its side. Kai was still watching Ruka. She had pulled Aido so that he was now lying on his back. Kai watched closely as Ruka leaned forward and was slowly closing the gap between her and Aido's face.

_'What kind of wakeup call is this?'_

Kai did not want to witness this.

SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!

"OWWWW! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?"

Kai turned wide-eyed. She had not expected _**that**_.

"Too loud..."

Oh, Shiki was finally awake…and glaring at Aido. "You're too loud...I thought you were a girl."

Kai wasn't too sure about that. The swearing that had followed was all Aido. Loud, obnoxious, and slightly uncouth. Two bright red handprints now marked his cheeks.

"Good morning." Ruka said brightly. This served to aggravate Aido more.

"Good morning, my ass." Aido replied nastily, standing up.

"You're welcome."

"I didn't say thank you."

"Now you did, you're still very welcome."

And then Aido yawned.

"I'll be glad to give you another round whenever you're tired…" Ruka hinted slyly.

Aido immediately closed his mouth and shook his head. "No way…I'm wide awake now. You ruined such a nice dream too. I was Kaname-sama's best friend and…what? Why are you looking at me like that?"

Ruka rolled her eyes. "Keep dreaming, that position has already been filled by Ichijo."

"At least I have a chance..." Aido muttered under his breath spitefully.

"What did you say?" Ruka hissed.

"I think it would be a good idea for us to get going, Ichijo?" Kain diverted attention to Ichijo who was enjoying himself with a half-eaten cookie. He hurriedly swallowed the rest and winked.

"Right! I guess it's time for us to go! Shiki, it's time for breakfast!" Ichijo announced.

Shiki jumped to attention and held out his hand, staring vacantly at Ichijo. Ichijo winked at the others and reached into a backpack Kai had never noticed was there. He pulled out strawberry pocky and handed it over. Shiki ripped the package open as Ichijo stood up and hung an arm around his shoulder.

"Do you like anyone, Shiki?" Ichijo asked without warning. The man in question was already munching away at three pocky sticks. Shiki pointed to himself, dumbfounded.

"Yes, you." Ichijo said.

Shiki shrugged, Ichijo's arm slipping from his shoulder. Was that really so important? He made eye contact with Kai and jiggled the box in his hand.

'_Do you want some?'_ His dark eyes asked.

The smell of strawberry pocky wafted to Kai's nose. God, who knew how hard it was to resist at noon time? She had barely even moved a muscle before he had tossed her the snack. There had been no hesitation. They each happily munched away.

_'That's something new…' _Ichijo thought to himself. _'Shiki usually doesn't share his strawberry pocky with __**anyone**__...'_

A development without him knowing?

Anyways..

"Onwards ho, you landlubbers!" Ichijo cried out at the top of his voice, without delay, linking arms with Aido. The blond protested lively as Ichijo marched him outside. He only quieted when Ichijo threateningly pulled his cheek.

"He's not going to tell us where he's bringing us, is he?" Ruka whispered to Kain.

"Probably not." Kain sighed.

"You'll see when we get there!" Ichijo called from up ahead. He led them over sand dunes as the hot rays from the sun beat down on their backs relentlessly. By the time the group reached the jungle, most were dazed and could only summon the strength to aim heated looks at Ichijo. He didn't notice though, the man was too engrossed in a map he had pulled out. To those who were closer to him, they could hear him mumbling to himself about getting to the big red "X". Peering through the dense jungle foliage, Ichijo clicked his tongue and estimated how much farther they would have to go until they reached their destination.

"Just a few more minutes!"

His weary followers were glad, slumping against over-sized boulders and soaring trees in their drowsiness. Taking an unprecedented hike like this in the sun was not their idea of fun and relaxation. Especially for people as temperamental as Aido and Ruka.

"Aido! This is my spot!" Ruka started irritably.

"Says who? I don't see your name written on it or anything!" Aido shouted angrily. He was extremely tired and sleepy and would not stand for her crap.

"Why you…" She huffed and turned away, folding her arms.

"Now now you guys…Why are you even acting like that? _**He**_ isn't here…." Kain stepped forward, taking on the role of the mediator with Ichijo so busy with his damned map. The two of them turned on him and snarled in unison.

"It isn't because Kaname-sama isn't here! It's just that…"

"Frankly, I just don't get along with…"

"Her!"

"Him!"

They shut their mouths at the same time and glowered at one another. Kain stopped himself from putting his face in his hands. Kai's head had jerked up at the mention of Kaname's name.

"Kaname-sama? He's here?"

Ruka grumbled. "He isn't here. He had other business."

"Oh." It had been foolish of her to ask.

"Time to head out again, maties!" Ichijo called out to the group and as quickly as that, they set out further into the jungle. They stepped over tree trunks and bushes that teemed with life, and every now and then, sounds of disgust would come from Aido or Ruka. Kain, Shiki and Kai had no such problem trudging through some of the muddier puddles that laid on the jungle floor. In fact, they were rather indifferent when it came to jumping over obstacles. Each of their reasons was different though.

Kain who was keeping an eye on Ruka and Aido couldn't even be bothered to keep track with what he was going through.

Shiki, on the other hand, just didn't care.

And Kai? Her reason only a little more practical, though it catered to her lazy streak. _'It's ok, as long as I don't have to wash the clothes...'_

Soon, Ichijo stopped up ahead. The others were ecstatic. They reached him in only a few seconds, a spring in their steps.

"Are we finally here?" Aido groaned. Just as the question left his mouth, bright flashes appeared all around them and temporarily blinded. Each one swore and grew defensive, furiously blinking their eyes. Kain protectively stepped in front of Ruka and was about to bare his fangs. That is, until they realized that Ichijo, who had been wearing sunglasses was shouting, "GUYS! Calm down! They're just cameras!"

The group finally saw that there were about three people with high-end cameras in their hands, snapping away at random, assitants gophering and handling lighting equipment. What the hell. This was his purpose for bringing them all out? A photo shoot?

"We never agreed to do this, Ichijo…." Ruka expressed her disapproval. "And what are humans doing here?"

Ichijo shook his head and said, "I know, it's already been taken care of. Amaya-sama has granted them a special one day pass. This is Shiki's photo shoot, which I'm pretty sure due to unknown events," He paused and looked at Kai with a grin, "He's already forgotten about."

"Is that true, Shiki?" Kain asked. All heads turned to the man who was still holding his empty pocky box in his hand and was hanging it upside down and shaking it to see if anything else would come out. There was nothing. Disappointed, Shiki threw the box on the ground and looked up to the person who had addressed him.

"What's today?" He asked.

"The eighteenth."

He thought for a second. "I think I do?"

Shiki saw girls that looked the same age as him stare and giggle before turning away to carry on with their tasks. He inwardly sighed, this is why he hardly made friends with girls. He looked up and saw ripe, green bananas hanging above their heads. He saw coconuts too and wondered whether he could go and get them….then a monkey dropped in out of nowhere and snatched the banana he had been eying. It looked at Shiki straight in the eyes and screeched, fleeing from the scene and dropping the banana in the process. But wait, the others were still talking….

"Then why did you bring the rest of us up here?" Aido complained.

"Because! We're going to go and hike up that mountain!" Ichijo explained gleefully, pointing at the mountain that rose almost as tall as the sky about six miled away from them. Ruka, Aido and Kain could hardly believe their eyes. They couldn't stop gaping even as Ichijo pushed them in that direction.

"Isn't that more like a volcano?" Aido whispered, wide-eyed with terror. Ichijo looked at the mountain and tapped his chin with a finger, "Hmmm….perhaps?"

"Wait a second! Is it a dormant or _**active**_ volcano then?" Ruka said but Ichijo ignored the question and pushed them harder.

"Better get going! Maybe we'll make it to the peak by sundown!"

_**SUNDOWN?**_

The three unfortunate vampire hikers thought in dismay.

"Ichijo..." A softspoken voice caught the slavedriver's attention. He turned to find Kai tugging at his shirt sleeve cutely and sighed, what an endearing girl.

"Hmm?" She sounded a bit worried.

"What about me?" She released his sleeve and pointed to herself, almost exactly a mirror of Shiki from before.

"Oh." Ichijo consequently beamed down at her. "Actually, I have a favor to ask you. Do you mind staying behind and helping Shiki here for a little bit. He doesn't like to be alone on set and gets a bit nervous sometimes. Just keep your cousin out of trouble haha."

Kai looked like she would rather get bitten by a snake and it was quite obvious to see that she really felt the need to think over his request. After a long while, she finally murmured okay.

"Thank you, Shiki-chan! We'll see you guys soon!" He looked at the pace the other three were walking and added,

"Errr….which actually may be pretty late at the rate we're going."

The two cousins nodded their head and Ichijo was off! Just like a magician, he vanished from their sight with a sleight of hand. Behind them, Shiki's name was called by a neat woman in a pencil skirt and round-frame glasses. The humans were apparently waiting for him. He began walking and Kai tagged along behind him without a sound.

'_What have I gotten myself into…'_ She thought. She dreaded finding out exactly what because she was sure it'd be painful.

Her premonition was proven right exactly sixty minutes later.

"Kai darling, lift your chin a little higher please! Yes, no…now a little lower! Ah, that's it! Stay still! PERFECT!"

Kai complied with the director's orders, trying not to yawn. The moment the woman with the glasses (whom she had found out was Shiki's agent) had set eyes on her, she was pushed into wardrobe and make-up. They had tossed chunks of clothing at her, all shapes, colours, sizes and fabrics. Not one was the same as the other. She was forced into cropped grey shorts and a white, almost see-through shirt with a lacy neckline. She also had no control when they stuffed her thin arms into a red clipped jacket. They'd removed her shoes, polished her legs, arms, feet and all areas of exposed skin. They ended the torture by topping her off with a black cap.

And here she was. By herself, while Shiki was set up at another site a few feet away.

"Look over here darling!" The director cried out, "That angle does no justice to you! Yes! That's good! Stop right there!"

Cameras flashed all around her and Kai tried her best not to blink. It was annoying enough that after only fifteen minutes, she saw spots of colour behind her eyelids but if she were to mess up somehow...she'd have to redo it all over again. To onlookers, it appeared that she was just absentmindedly staring at the sky. In reality, she was considering potential escape routes.

When the director yelled cut, and the camera took its final photo, Kai was overly relieved. "Break for photo shoot one with Kai! Good job everyone!"

She randomly started walking around, listening in on the workers' meaningless conversations. Photographers, make-up artists and other work hands were conversing freely with one another and greeted her in a friendly manner as she passed. Kai respectfully nodded to them and found herself drawn to the deafening voice of the director who had moved on to see Shiki's shoot. Kai decided to stop by and watch how Shiki "worked".

Leaning against a trunk, Shiki sported a low neck olive green undershirt and black khakis that reached down to mid-calf. Over that, a brown and golden-lined jacket accentuated his thin frame. He stared broodingly at the camera. His entire body was a provocative tool where his shoulders and hands were slightly tilted. Kai could feel, see and hear his breathing as she watched him momentarily bring to a standstill his breathing and remained perfectly still when the camera flashed. Unlike her, it flashed only a few times and then the director called it off, giving Shiki his break now.

"Spectacular, Shiki!" The director gushed, approaching the model as all the others began to put away their things and move to the next site. "Perfecto! Just like your mother! Your expressions are to die for, my lovely boy! They are just too delicious!" The man emphasized this by licking his lips which caused Shiki to turn away in disgust and head over to where Kai was standing.

"He's annoying." Kai commented.

"I know." Shiki sighed, running a hand through his hair and ruining the stylist's efforts to tame his wild hair. "He's also gay…"

"He'd like Ichijo."

"He's already asked me for his number."

"Did you give it?"

"I wouldn't be his friend if I did."

"Ok Everyone!" The person they were talking about was shouting again. "Next shoot is with both models! Get to work people! Chop, chop! Get them into hair and make-up…NOW!"

_'I'm a model now..?'_ Kai thought. She glared at Shiki. "I thought I was just a stand-in..."

Shiki had no time to answer. They were instantaneously pulled away from each other. No make-up could further define their faultless features. The make-up artists saw this as a challenge and tried their best to enhance their natural beauty while the hairstylists made a collective effort on each individual's hair.

Shiki emerged from his tent in a completely different outfit. The theme for the shoot seemed to be "RIPPED", meaning whatever article of clothing he was wearing was in some way, shape or form, ripped to shreds. The black jeans he was wearing? Ripped beyond recognition. The dark gray checkered tee? Shredded everywhere. And what was a white collared long-sleeve, now was treated as decorative remains. One sleeve was practically missing, save for the few threads of fabric that clung closely to define his arms. Shiki lifted his arm up and down to see whether everything would just fall apart. Surreptiously, he felt he was modeling for the zombie apocalypse...yet another idea Ichijo had implanted into his mind. He was moved to the shoot and here, he waited for his partner, trying to look for that monkey.

Kai soon exited her own tent with the confidence of a minnow swimming beside a shark. She had to face those blinding cameras again. Urgh. She arrived on scene, wearing a nude summer dress, dangling silver jewelry adorning her wrists and slender neck. It was a stark contradiction to Shiki's ripped appearance. She found him sitting cross-legged in front of some brush. Shiki looked up at her, waited, and then looked away.

Was something wrong?

"Come now! Sit, Kai!" The director called from behind the camera. "We're about to start."

Start? She unceremoniously dropped beside Shiki and pinched herself.

"Just act natural! Do whatever you like!" The director said.

That did not help.

"What are you doing sitting still?" The director exploded, him and the crew starting to get impatient. And the more he shouted, the more Kai's plans shifted from escape to potential murder designs.

"Just relax…" Shiki whispered in her ear. Kai whipped around.

"What?" She mouthed, her eyes wide. Shiki turned her head to face the camera but she refused. He was the experienced one here…shouldn't_** he**_ do something? Throwing caution into the wind, Shiki moved out of his cross-legged position and stretched out while simultaneously, placing her straight in front of him. Kai stiffened under his touch, causing him to frown. Did she think his touch was revolting? She tried to wriggle away from his body but he held her tightly in the steel cage of his arms.

"Let go of me…" Kai whispered threateningly, still trying to pull away. Damnit, why was he stronger? She had underestimated those skinny arms.

"Only if you look at me…" Shiki muttered. His hand gripped her chin carefully. His face….so close that their breaths were mixing in the small space between them. She felt herself lean against his chest, a hard wall that supported her weight. She had to be natural… but was it natural to look at him this way?

"Look at me…" Shiki whispered again….even more softly that she wasn't sure if he had actually said it or if she had just imagined those words coming from his lips, they were so close that she could touch them. She lifted a timid finger to his face and drew a line downward, still hesitant of what she should be doing. Again, this begged the question. Was it natural to feel this way….when she knew he was the son of that murderer?

_'Yes...'_ A voice in her mind whispered though at that exact time, another, crueler voice cried out, '_You can't…'_

When she became aware of the flashes and clicking of the cameras, it all came back to her.

"Beautiful! _Bella_!" The director yelled at the top of his lungs, kissing his fingers at the couple on the ground. "The most exquisite expressions come from the both of you! Together! What a wonderful couple! Just breathtaking!" The man continued to sing their praises as Kai little by little extracted herself from Shiki's arms. She has gotten caught up in his pace. That shouldn't have happened.

She came face to face with the director. "Thank you soooooo much! I will definitely use you again, my darling! The pair of you, so feral, so alive, so _**real**__! _That boy has never looked at another female that way. AH! There he is now! You lovely couple! Where shall you go now? Your girlfriend is a star in the making, Shiki!"

Shiki froze in the act of rolling up his sleeves and stared at the director. Kai was so sure that her own face was showing such an expression as well. The director clucked his tongue at them and said, "Don't tell me…. You two are not together?"

"…"

"My dears….that is completely unbelievable! The chemistry! The raw energy! Don't say that it was all fake? By God, actors are becoming more talented by the day!" He commented though he still had on an incredulous smile. The two of them were at a loss for words.

"We're BACK!"

Everyone jumped and only the director laughed and greeted Ichijo.

"Do you have any plans on becoming a model Ichijo-san, I could take good care of you..." He asked Ichijo, who took a step back and shook his head.

"Ahh, no. I'm fine, thanks."

Disappointed, the director's face brightened at another idea his mind may have concocted. "May I ask where those other three _delectable_ persons of your group are?"

Instantly nervous, Ichijo gulped and said, "Uh, they're a, umm….a little busy at the moment…"

**Flashback…**

The group, under Ichijo's leadership, had made it to the halfway point of the mountain….and was exhausted from it. They had gone through so much to just get where they were and Ichijo would brook no argument from any of them to turn back now and return to the resort…or at least the photo shoot. Wiping sweat off of his forehead, Ichijo fanned Ruka's hot face with a large leaf as a makeshift fan to cool down her temperature.

"I'm going to die….leave me!" Ruka cried out melodramatically.

"Oh shut it, you drama queen! You're not gonna die!" Aido retorted, now knowing how it feels for others to hear _**him**_ complain all the time.

"Says you." Ruka coughed.

"It's illogical." Aido stated, sitting on the rough jungle ground. He had long given up caring about his appearance, his face and clothes a smeared mess of mud and leaves strewn in his hair. The rest faired no better, but no one could've kept a positive attitude like Ichijo's.

"We're almost there! We're so close I can smell it!" He exclaimed, pointing at the summit excitedly.

"Whatever it was you smelled, the rest of us aren't…" Kain heaved a sigh and looked around him. It had already been a couple of hours and he worried how Shiki and Kai were faring.

'_Better than us, I hope….'_

"AHH! OH NO!" Ichijo shouted.

"What is it?" Kain asked tiredly.

"I lost the map!" Ichijo admitted, frowning as he looked all around him.

"Didn't you just have it?

"Yes, I did!"

"Do you have any clue where you dropped it of left it or whatever?" Aido added.

"I don't know…." Contemplative, Ichijo got an idea and cried out, "EUREKA! I've got it! I'll just retrace my steps! Wait here! I'll be right back!" He was gone before anyone could even say anything to stop him…As far as they were concerned, Ichijo could take his time…

**Flashback ends…**

"...Or at least, that's where I think they are still." Ichijo said, after telling his part of the story.

"Did you find the map?"

Sheepishly, Ichijo rubbed the back of his head and flushed, "Err…"

"What now?" She pressed.

"Um, I found it but then there was some mud on it, so I went to a nearby stream to wash it off in…and then…" He trailed off at that point and Shiki could only imagine what had happened after that.

"You lost your grip and it got washed away...?" Shiki ended the sentence. Ichijo looked at his friend and shook his head.

"No! I'm not that clumsy!" Ichijo defended himself, turning redder.

"_..."_ Experience had provided evidence to prove that that statement wasn't in the least bit true.

"So what happened was that," Ichijo continued on with his story, "I had washed all of the mud off and then I was just laying it out on a stone to dry for a bit. But then I got impatient and started to blow on it so that it could dry faster and while I was holding it up….a monkey took it. And then I tried to bribe him with a banana to give it back! But he wouldn't, so I threw the banana at him! But then he caught it and ran off with my map!"

Everyone around them raised a suspicious eyebrow at Ichijo who began to laugh uneasily again. "He he he…he…he… I'm sorry ok? It wasn't my fault! I'm actually telling the truth!"

"You should've stuck with the river story, Ichijo…" Kai shook her head in disbelief as Shiki shrugged and said, "I believe you."

"Really?" Shiki's faith in him has instantaneously brought up his spirits.

"Nope."

"Shiki..." Ichijo mumbled incomprehensibly and dabbed at false tears in his eyes…. "That's so hurtful…"

Shiki rolled his eyes. "You said that yesterday." He circumnavigated around Ichijo to stare up at the mountain. "You should go get them now…"

"But what if I get lost?" Ichijo said in a fearful voice. "I think you two should come with me and…"

"No." This time, it was Kai who refused. "I'm tired."

Ichijo turned to Shiki who had already gravitated to Kai's side.

"Fine. I see whose side you're on now…I'll just go (sniff sniff) by myself…and look for them… alone…(sniff) in the dark…"

He left at last and then Shiki asked Kai, "Did you feel guilty?"

"No not really. You?"

"Nope."

The director watched the two's straight faces and nearly cried himself. Those two were so expressive! He was so fortunate to see them together before he left.

Shiki and Rima changed back to their original clothes and handed back the outfits as everyone packed up and got ready to leave.

"CIAO, my little darlings!" The director screamed into their ears as he left in the private helicopter he and the crew had arrived in. Neither of the models waved back at him but he didn't care. They had definitely marked a place in his heart.

_'He's scary…'_ Kai thought, reevaluating the notion that he was just plain annoying. She and Shiki would be heading back to the resort now. It was dark already, the sun already having set over the western horizon. Luckily, they knew the way back.

"Stop looking at me." Kai mumbled when they were about halfway through the jungle.

"No."

"Why not?" She inquired aggravatedly.

"There's nothing else better to do…" Shiki replied.

"Nevermind."

Through some miracle, they arrived at the edge of the jungle.

"Shiki, the beach, could we stop by there?"

"Ok." Shiki said shortly after. Why not, they had time to spare.

To Kai's delight, Shiki took off towards the beach, his steps slow but sure. They arrived at the moonlit seaside and walked to the low shoreline. The wind whistled in their ears again, an ever-present entity that kept them company. Kai stepped away from Shiki, walking closer to the shore until the water was touching her shoes. The moon was so achingly exquisite past the cruise ship. Somehow, it reminded her of her mother…

Hana had told her once on a beach much like this: "Each time you spin counterclockwise, each turn robs the planet of its angular momentum and slows down its spin, lengthening the dawn a little bit."

The younger Rima had said, full of a child's ignorance, "Why would I want to do that? I have all the time in the world."

Her mother had laughed and began talking to Rima about her father. She hadn't understood much back then, just that he had died. But looking back at Shiki, she remembered what her mother had said in the end.

"_Because one day, you'll wish you could've spent more time with that special person." _

Shiki came up next to her.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Dying…" Kai thought aloud.

"...That's cheerful."

She ignored the jab and carried on in all seriousness. "It's like...disappearing."

With the exception of the light sprinkling of stars, the sky was a just a myriad of blue. Those lights, they winked from their lofty perches and Kai smiled.

"I think…." He started and then stopped. And then started again. And then stopped himself for a second time.

"Hmm?"

"No, it's nothing. Why would you want to make time longer?" He then murmur inaudibly, his words mirroring that same naïve question Kai herself had asked her mother so many years ago.

'_Why?'_ She considered the question. But she couldn't say the answer to him, not out loud when they were lying next to each other in this warm sand so at ease. Some words would ruin everything.

"To live longer." She lied. But the moment she said it, Kai suddenly became afraid that Shiki might've heard the falseness in her voice. She twisted her head to face the other direction and stared at the grains of sand. His hand covered hers, his hair blowing over his face when an imperceptible breeze blew over their bodies.

Shiki gripped her hand tightly in his and said, "Why?"

When he saw her eyes shift uneasily, he squeezed her hand again and then released it altogether from his grip and said no more.

Once he let go, Kai's hand felt at a loss. She wanted to say more but couldn't. Her mother had to lose Father to say those words, but Kai would lose everything before she could ever speak them.


	8. Ch8: Chilling Warmth

**Chapter 8: Chilling Warmth**

The air between them was overwrought with restlessness. And it was in that silence, she found that he had left. It seemed she was staring at the empty space beside her for ages, wallowing in a heavy nothingness. She closed her eyes, and after a while, even began to imagine she was floating. A narrow opening revealed that she was indeed off the ground. Weird... Her eyes slid shut and Kai was limp.

_"_Stupid..." Shiki's voice floated out of nowhere, his tone darkly angry. It was directed at the girl he was carrying in his arms who he now saw as foolish for suggesting to come here in the first place. And he couldn't help sharing the blame himself for not noticing her condition earlier. A thin sheet of sweat had formed on her forehead and she was uncharacteristically red in the face. The moment he had touched her hand, he knew that she was burning up. Caught between briskly walking and sprinting the distance from beach to resort, he questioned his urgency. She would not die, it hardly warranted this burst of concern. This girl, his cousin...Ever since he met her, he hadn't been normal.

Shiki reached the foyer and because of Kai, was forced to kick the glass door open. Luckily, it did not shatter but when it noisingly collided with the back wall, the impact alerted the receptionist of his presence. She stood up from behind her desk and bowed as Shiki passed. He promptly ignored her curious looks and started his ascent up the stairs. His eyes flickered from room to room on the second floor.

_'228, 229, 230-231!' _He counted. Without disturbing Kai, Shiki carefully removed his pass key from his pocket and swiped it through the verifier. It beeped once but when he twisted the handle, it refused to open. He swiped the key again, and for a second time, it beeped and did not budge an inch. Annoyed, he pulled Kai closer against his chest. That lock had beeped its last. Moments later, the lock was broken and the door was in a shambled state. He used a foot to kick the door back in place before carefully laying Kai on his bed and pulled the blanket over her. He removed his arms from under her and quickly pulled the blanket over her. He then raided the closet and found another set of blankets that he layered on top of the defenseless girl. From the bathroom, he wetted a cold towel and folded it neatly, returning to Kai's side and placing it on her head. She shivered at the contact and shifted under the covers. Shiki was about to move away when her hand shot up and grabbed onto his. He knelt beside her and tried to ease away.

"Don't leave..." Kai grumbled.

Shiki waited until her grip loosened but a single twitch and she was holding his hand as tightly as possible.

"Just sleep..."

On a whim, he brushed her cheek. This simple thing would not dissipate her fever, but he felt her grip grow lax. He wanted to watch over her, wanted to but the marvels of sleep thought otherwise and soon, he was dragged under.

A few hours later, there was a knock at his door. No one inside heard it though; the two vampires were fast asleep, his head on the edge of the bed, hand in hand.

Knock, knock!

Still, neither of the two occupants roused.

There was some jiggling and the door inched open. "What...it was open this whole time? Shiki! You broke the lock!"

The first thing Ichijo noticed made him grin the Devil's grin. But then he saw the towel on Kai's head and pieced together what must have happened. He moved to her other side and checked her temperature.

"Hm, you're still a little warm. Maybe I should've made you stay in after all.."

He said that, but Ichijo couldn't help taking a step back and admire the view. They had to be the cutest pair of cousins. Ever. "Aww, who knew Shiki Number One was so sweet? This would make a good picture to show them later. Where's my phone? I'm sure it has a camera or something..." Ichijo patted himself down in search for his phone. "Ah! Here it is!"

Having pulled the phone out of his pockets, Ichijo tapped random buttons until the 'camera' option came up. He pressed "ok" and then the camera was operational. But in his excitement in locating where exactly the camera was on his phone, he accidentally pressed the "ok" button again and there was a bright flash right in front of his eyes.

"Ahh! Ahhh...I'm blind! Call the medic!" Ichijo swayed a little and lost his balance, nearly crashing into the full-sized mirror that occupied the left corner of the lavish room. It was only until after he walked into a wall that he was able to calm himself. "Ahhh...what a dangerous weapon this is!" Ichijo muttered, tapping the camera lenses with the nail of his index finger. He must proceed carefully now. Luckily, Shiki and Kai remained undisturbed. Looking at the screen of his cellphone and making sure it wasn't facing him this time, he took a picture.

FLASH

Oh crap..! The flash was still on! He had forgotten to opt it out. Fortunately, the goddess of luck was smiling down on Ichijo. They still hadn't woken up, leaving the two oblivious vampires at the mercy of Ichijo's trigger happy finger.

Snap!

Snap, snap!

Snap, snap, snap!

His luck ran out when he was doing a close-up of Shiki's face. Lazy blue eyes pried open before Ichijo could snap a picture. "Ichijo?" Shiki murmured, his voice thick with sleep. He rubbed his eyes and blinked a couple of times before then asking, "How'd you get in here?"

Ichijo thought for a moment and said, "What if I told you that a bunch of rabid monkeys were chasing me and then while I was hiding, they targeted you instead and I had just finished defeating their evil monkey forces before you woke up?"

"Liar..." Shiki said without hesitation. He looked down at Kai who looked as peaceful as she had been the moment he had fallen to sleep. Ichijo was slightly deflated but still laughed, nodding his question towards the doorway.

"Oh..I forgot about that. I was in a hurry..."

"You mean, because you were carrying Kai?" Shiki didn't reply and Ichijo chuckled again when Shiki tentatively lifted a hand to her forehead. "She'll be fine. It must've just been a flash fever."

"Hn." Kai's hand fell off the bed and Shiki slowly placed it on the bedside. He stood up and rolled his stiff shoulders. "Did you make it to the top?"

"Not exactly..." Ichijo admitted sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

_"Hey guys! I finally found you!"_

_Aido and Ruka looked down at the creature that they had just been about to sink their fangs into and suck dry. **Ichijo**. The cause of this entire predicament. Their bloodthirst increased and the red in their eyes deepened._

_"Ichijo..." They whispered seductively together as Ichijo nervously laughed at them._

_"Uhh, you guys? Why are you looking at me like that?... Guys?"_

_Ruka had jumped over his head and was now holding onto both of the blond victim's arms while Aido went and grabbed Ichijo's legs._

_"Guys? Kain? A little help!" Ichijo was starting to panic. Kain, his saviour, was nowhere to be found...and that meant he had no hope escaping whatever Ruka and Aido had planned out for him. The two vampires began to carry him over through the bush. If this was all they were going to do, Ichijo had no problem. But as they neared a clearing, getting whacked in the face a couple of times with some branches became the least of his concerns. He would never forget his friends' slightly crazed eyes and mad grins as they threw him off the edge of a cliff. _

_"GUYS!" Ichijo's yells soon faded away as he disappeared into the black shadows down below. Satisfied with their revenge, Aido and Ruka high-fived each other and went back into the jungle. It was Kain's turn now. _

"And that's what happened..."

Shiki pointed at the top of Ichijo's head. "There's a leaf still there."

Ichijo raised his hands to his head and started to comb them through his hair. "I thought I had gotten rid of them all!" He picked out the leaf and threw it in the garbage.

"Nice story...but what does it have to do with me? You could've told me in the morning."

"Ah right! I was supposed to tell you something! Shiki, your-!" Ichijo started but was rudely cut off by knocking at the door. Kain walked in, disgruntled and slightly muddy.

"Ichijo, Shiki-sama is getting impatient." Kain stated, a bruise present on his left cheek and just as ragged-looking as Ichijo.

"What is it?" Shiki asked.

Ichijo coughed. "I was getting to that. Amaya-sama is waiting for you in the lounge. Kaname-sama has arrived on the island."

"Rido." With that name, whatever walls Shiki had lowered were formed again, as tall as ever. Casting a sideways glance at Kai, Shiki directed his attention to Ichijo. "Could you…take care of her?"

Shiki then swept out of the room with Kain accompanying him to his mother. Ichijo, left alone with Kai, moved close to her and drew up the disheveled blankets. He rested a hand on her forehead to feel her temperature and wasn't surprised that it was almost back to normal. Little did he know that Kai was awake and had heard everything.

'_He's here…'_ Her heart pounding loudly in her ears that she was sure Ichijo could hear it too. But of course, he couldn't. And his ignorance led him to talk about another topic.

"He's starting to get attached to you, you know. I kind of feel jealous, like a mother watching her son getting married." He chuckled but Kai did not need to hear this. It was useless knowledge anyways. The only thing that mattered was that Rido was here. And that once she found him, she would never meet Shiki again..


	9. Ch9: What's in a Name?

**Chapter 9: What's in a Name?**

Ichijo had never expected the first words out of Kai's mouth to be: "I need to see him."

Reluctant, yet supposing that there wouldn't be any harm since she was looking much better, he had agreed. They wouldn't stay for long. Ichijo pulled off his jacket and laid it across her shoulders. She eyed him weirdly. "It's cold outside." Ichijo simply said. He took her hand, and slowly brought her outside, Kai appreciating his cooperation.

"Rido-sama is on the ship, he thought it unwise to wake the guests right now."

Kai rubbed her eyes. "What time is it anyways?"

"Eight o'clock, give or take a few minutes."

They walked down the beach towards the _Silver Whisper_, Ichijo already freeing Kai's hand as he walked ahead to speak with the guards at the bridgeway between the ship and shoreline. When Kai advanced, Ichijo looked at her and the two guards bowed their heads. Ichijo offered his hand again and escorted Kai up to the deck.

"What did you say?" She asked, halfway up.

"I told them the truth," Ichijo said, guiding the way to the only area that was flooded with lights. It was in the direction of the hall. "That you were here to meet your uncle." Finally they came to see Kain standing guard outside the closed doors of the Grand Hall.

"Yo," He eyed Kai. "Shouldn't you be in bed? I thought you were.."

"Sick?" Ichijo finished his sentence for him. "She was, still is, just a teeny bit, but she'll be fine. Are they in there?"

"Just went in," Kain replied. "I was told that no one should enter."

"Come on, she's basically family."

Kain knew his orders, but Ichijo would not have brought Kai here if he didn't think it would be okay. He slowly moved aside and pushed open the door.

"Thanks Kain. Kai, I can't go in with you so you're on your own." Ichijo muttered in her ear before she stepped into the hall. She nodded at him, a thankful look in her eyes before she disappeared behind the closing door. Inside, the de-transformation failed to surprise her. No servers, bartenders, and an obvious lack of tables and decorations left the floor nearly barren. There was no sign of life, save for the group of three that stood at the center of the floor. Kuran Rido, the epitome of charisma and power, stood over his glamorous lover and princely son, the perfect little family who were now all staring at her.

"Come Kai, greet Rido-sama. You must have missed him." Without warning, Amaya came up behind her and pushing the girl towards Rido.

"Don't be a stranger, Kai." The pureblood welcomed her with open arms and pressed her against his ribs. Kai froze, keeping her composure. "It's a bit chilly tonight isn't it? Actually, Amaya, I wouldn't mind a jacket." Amaya smiled beatifically.

"It would be my pleasure." She bowed her head and turned to Kai and Shiki. "Come along, you two."

"Wait, I need them to keep me company and tell me about all of the things that I missed." Rido interjected, pulling Kai away from Amaya's reach. "We'll join you shortly, _**dear**_."

There was a foreboding lilt in his intonation but Amaya took it in stride, barely flinching as she lifted her chin and coolly responded, "Fine. I shall wait for you outside then."

The door clicked in place and with a grand smile, Rido promptly faced his son. "Senri, I forgot to tell your mother something..I'd like it if you would go and tell Machi to prepare my rooms."

_'Machi?'_ Shiki thought, not looking forward to the task but already nodding his head. '_Ah, that girl...'_ In his mind, the picture of the servant girl who followed Rido everywhere was dredged up. So he had to find her. He looked at Kai before bowing. Was she ok now? Why had Ichijo brought her here? But Rido was clearing his throat, and Shiki could stall no more.

Eleven minutes past eight. Shiki left the lion with the lamb.

The door's lock clicked in place for the second time and right away, Kai felt Rido's gaze fall upon her with an intensity that sent chills across her skin. He was studying her, watching her every movement, revelling in her uneasiness.

"My, you have grown up to be a beautiful young woman, Toya Rima. I can see that Hana raised you quite well."

His tone was jovial, friendly with a sincere stretch of his lips.

She hated him.

Flames engulfed her being, instantly melting away the frost on her skin. Heat concentrated on her hand, leaving it tingling, itching for flesh underneath her nails.

The devil. How could he speak her mother's name so easily?

"Don't ever say her name.."

She swung her arm with all of her might and the strident ringing of a slap echoed within the towering walls.

Rima, her hand high in the air, let it drop to her face to clutch at her bruised cheek. She tasted the blood on her lips and growled nonsensically at the offense. Rido glared down at her menacingly.

Shaking his hand nonchalantly, Rido broke a murderous grin that gloriously overshadowed his former masquerade. "It's a pity that she never was able to teach you about manners though."

Rima barely had the strength to resist the pull of Rido's hand as he forced her to follow him across the floor to a nearby table. He dragged a chair out and let her go, momentum pushing her backwards into the seat. She struggled to stand up but felt weak, strangely drained of energy and even more strangely, restrained to the chair by invisible chains. This was his doing.

A snarl ripped from her throat. Her resistance was his form of entertainment and she loathed herself for simply being it's source. How could she even dare to think of dispatching him in this sorry state of weakness? Another snarl escaped when he drew closer.

_Poison. _His breath smelled of lavender yet as he touched his lips against her face, it was a noxious poison. Rima felt her body shake, refusing the urge to retch. His lips travelled across her face now, feathery light touches that seared her translucent skin until they brushed the side of her left ear. Breathing become a difficult task when she felt the hand press on the inside of her thigh. Her eyes were shut so tightly that she didn't catch the immoral smirk that flashed across Rido's dark face.

"Ah, the supple skin you young ones have." His lips slid back to reveal elongated ivory fangs that ached at the sight of her skin. He couldn't resist the temptation to nibble the tender outer lobe, applying just enough pressure to leave the impressions of his bite marks but not enough to draw blood. Momentarily intoxicated in his fascination of the body, his nose proceeded with catching the fragrance of the blood that still newly dripped from her bottom lip.

Violated beyond belief, and to add injury to insult, the young vampire felt Rido whisper senseless nothings against her cheek as he moved downwards. She was so numb.

"Ahh, your blood is so enticing..." He said as he abandoned his former actions and partook in the new delight of her stained lips. Rage and loathing were masked behind her frosty expression but they were just shallow words that could never describe the full extent of what she was experiencing.

However, Kai was not so out of it to miss the new scent in the air. The fresh air flew past her and carried with it and even more deadly poison.

Shiki's scent.

And she could only imagine his face.

And ah...

Unexpectedly, Ichijo had come inside too.

By that time, she knew Rido had detected them.

"We'll continue this later..." He whispered before removing his hand and patting her on the shoulder. As if false affection could cover up her scars.

Kai turned to look and there she saw a horrified Ichijo staring, mouth slightly parted. He quickly dipped into a bow when Rido addressed him.

"So, Ichio's grandson. What business do you have with me?"

Ichijo's eyes are still lowered despite his rigid posture. "_Gomen_, Kuran-sama. It's just that, Shiki..."

And he stepped aside, revealing the sharp outline of the pureblood's son melded into the doorway arch. The young man stepped out from the shadow of the door and walked up beside Ichijo who uncharacteristically seemed uneasy. Kai felt the same, embarassed even.

Shiki was holding a bouquet of roses but they seemed unimportant now in his hands, dangling awkwardly above the ground. A single rose slipped from his grasp and fell to the floor. Kai could hardly breathe. But she saw Rido glancing at her. Catching that glance, Shiki spoke up. "Mother left with Akatsuki. She wanted me to give these to you."

"Ah, how generous of her." Rido exclaimed. He approached the two intruders and bent down, picking up the rose and slowly placing it in Kai's hair. Then with an appreciative glance, he addressed his son again, quoting, "_What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet_."

Ichijo remained silent behind Shiki who as always, remained impassive in expression. Only his eyes gave away his interest as they flitted from his father's face to hers.

Rido laughed at their puzzlement and touched the rose in Kai's hair once more, pulling it out harshly. Kai cringed as thorns sliced the top of her ear but the blood that dripped from it lost meaning as she watched Rido proceed with withering the flower in his hand and consequently crushing it. He opened his hand and his audience saw wilted petals hit the floor.

"So, shall I tell you this pretty flower's _**real**_ name?" Rido's voice was benevolent. But his chilly smirk contradicted it. Kai merely stared up into his hollow eyes.

This time, it was over for her.

_'Truly.'_ She thought, her eyes catching those of her friends who were not really friends.

"What are you talking about Kuran-sama?" Ichijo dared to ask. Polite, but curt.

The smirk still planted on his face, Rido, with a flourish of his hand, waved at Kai.

"Why, then. Let me take it upon myself to reintroduce this falsified niece of mine."

Kai jerked her head to the side.

Shiki stiffened.

Ichijo's eyes narrowed.

And Rido merely laughed.

"Takuma, Senri. Say hello to Toya Rima."


	10. Ch10: The End

**Chapter 10: The End **

"_**This will be **__**properly **__**settled once we reach the mainland. **__**And I trust that there will not be a word spoken of this.**__**"**_

With those words, Rido had walked out of the hall, leaving her to pick up the pieces of her devastation as the two remaining men watched.

Ichijo was the one to speak first. "Shiki-chan, what-"

Kai glared at them. "This is none of your business, Ichijo-san, Shiki-san. I'd appreciate it if you just left me alone."

She acted as if they hadn't heard the things they did and after they left, she really tried to fool herself into believing that. The door shut and she shed off the persona of Kai and sat on the floor. What they must think of her... Ha, probably nothing good after what she just said.

She would make things right, she just needed one more chance with Rido and everything would be okay.

Toya Rima shut her eyes tightly, clasping pale hands together. It was a long while until she gathered the courage to walk off the ship and back into the confines of her room. Fortunately, she had met no one along the way. She laid herself down atop the bed and gazed upward at the blank ceiling. She could expect no sleep today; instead, Rido's promise of ending this occupied her mind.

The days passed quickly on the islands. Starry nights and moonlit celebrations played out for the remainder of their stay, those of which Rima avoided like the plague. She holed herself up in her room and refused to come out, ordering in her meals and water. It was only an amount of time until the severity of this behavioural change was caught by the rest of her friends.

"Kai! Can you please come out? It's been two days already! Kai!" Ruka frowned and turned to face the rest of the group. "What happened?" She complained.

"Maybe she doesn't want to see you." Aido said, earning him a slap over the head. "OW! What-!"

"Why don't you try then?" Ruka flicked her hair into his face and stepped aside.

"I will!" Aido politely knocked a few times. "Hey Kai! Do you mind stepping out for a bit? We're planning on going swimming!"

There was no answer but Aido was not going to leave it at that. He knocked a couple of more times.

"Kaiii! Come on! Friggin' little…"

"Ahem…" Kain coughed and eyed Aido, pointedly noting his rudeness.

Taking the warning, Aido sighed and hit his head on the door. On a last ditch effort, he whined again, "Kaiiii….my pride depends on you."

Turning to Ichijo who was uncharacteristically quiet, Aido was struck with an idea. "Hey, you mind getting her out of there? Ichijo, you smooth talker?" He approached Ichijo and slapped him amiably on the shoulder. But in a manner unlike himself, the young blond barely cracked a smile. Instead, he shrugged the hand off and shook his head without offering a reason.

A little crestfallen, Aido faced Shiki. "Hey Shiki, buddy, ol' pal. Your cousin's holed up in there, come on….get her out."

Nudge, nudge.

No response.

Nudge, nudge.

Shiki's eyes snapped to Aido's face, disturbingly heated.

"No."

Aido fumed. But Ichijo intervened before he could say another word.

"Aido, sorry but Shiki's not feeling well. I'll take him back to his room. Maybe we should just leave To-...Shiki-san alone." The two of them disappeared and the three vampires left behind stood, with one last look at the door, decided to move on and respect her wishes.

"Maybe Kai's not feeling well either." Kain muttered.

The moment Ichijo shut the door on Shiki's room, the younger man gravitated towards his bed and laid down, his eyes closed. Ichijo, concerned, sat beside him and stared at his feet. They sat like that, brooding over the peculiar situtation that had been laid on them the night before.

"What are you thinking about, Shiki?" Ichijo finally asked.

It took a while before Shiki replied. "Why?"

Beneath that word, was a string of many.

_'Why did Toya Rima pretend to be his cousin?'_ Ichijo grasped at straws to try and give an answer.

"I've heard about her...or her family at least." He offered. "It was in the news a while ago. The last of the Toya family, Toya-san's mother was murdered but afterwards, I never heard of an investigation or anything. It seems questionable."

It had to have been a cover-up. But at that time he hadn't given it much thought. It didn't concern him.

"No."

He turned to face Shiki who seemed to have trouble forming words.

Slowly, he spoke. "I wonder why he let her come here at all. Even Mother... She's not that weak."

_'True_.' Ichijo thought. '_He must be planning something. Yet why tell us?' _

"What do you plan to do?"

"Me?" The voice held no emotion. Hard eyes stared back at Ichijo. "Do what?"

"You and Toya-san, you two were...are close."

Shiki turned on his side, evading the statement. He buried his head in his pillow but his muscles remained taut.

"You can't hide from this, Shiki." Reluctantly, Ichijo stood. "Look, I'll try and see what else I can find out. It'll be okay."

With that, Ichijo patted his friend on the head and left the room.

"I'm going to miss the spa..." Ruka said, miffed that their stay had finished already.

"You'll live." Kain replied, adjusting the strap of a heavy handbag that Ruka had handed him to carry.

"Do you think Kai's okay?" She asked as they climbed up the bridge. He hoped so.

"Hey, guys! I'm over here! Here! Here! Hey look up!"

The two vampires didn't even bother looking up. Kain sighed and did a facepalm. It was undeniably...

"AIDO! Get off the railing you idiot, you're embarrassing me!" With the intention of an angry whisper, Tsubaki, Aido's older sister, all but screamed. Following that was a yelping of sorts as Tsubaki then proceeded with forcefully pulling Aido away by the ear.

"Anyone must be doing much better than that guy." Kain said.

Kai found herself carried away with the flow of the crowd when she reached the dock. A push and shove there allowed her to make her own way up and into the her room without much incidence. On the way there, she thought she had caught a glimpse of Ichijo or heard the arguing of Ruka and Aido. Not that they had anything to do with her anymore. She huddled herself up in her bed, laying her head on the back board.

Knock knock.

She looked at the door, wondering if her ears were playing tricks on her.

Knock knock.

It happened again. Rima got up and passing the mirror on the way, she saw how much she has disregarded her appearance. But she still went up and opened the door...and saw darkness.

"After everyone kindly drops off their things in their rooms, Rido-sama has arrived and will address all in the Grand Hall. Thank you and have a nice day."

The genial voice announced all over the ship. The ship's mouths were set alight, all discussing the secret arrival of Rido-sama, the head of the pureblooded Kurans. Bags and packages were quickly dropped off at rooms and streams of vampires entered the Grand Hall. Soon it was full and the centerpiece of it all made his appearance. He came down the stairs majestically, raising a hand to greet his subjects.

"I'm glad to see you all. I hope that you have all been enjoying your time here. Unfortunately, Amaya is up in her rooms dealing with something else, but this allows me to deal with something as well." A slightly groggy Rima was suddenly pulled out behind a curtain at the bottom of the stairs and stumbled clumsily to Rido's side. "As all of you know, this is Amaya's niece, Kai Osawa. But if truth be told, she is not who I have claimed her to be."

The silent crowd retained closed expressions, and Rido continued. "Amaya was quite adamant about recovering her brother's daughter and I assisted her with whatever I could. However, I discovered that the girl had perished long ago and, with Amaya's best interests at heart, I took it upon myself to take Toya Hana's daughter under my wing. The poor girl, Rima, who lost her mother so horribly, we discussed terms that suited both our needs...and then..."

Rido kept on talking but after his disclosure of her identity, Rima let his voice slip from her consciousness. How smooth of him to incorporate her presence with Amaya-san's issues and come out as the saviour. Already, she could see the faces of begrudging respect and some of open admiration for the venomous snake. At the same time, she saw sympathetic eyes looking in her direction. She imagined that they thought she looked familiar and were comparing her to her mother. She could almost laugh, they thought they knew her predicament. But no one knew. Not even the half of it. She lowered her eyes...settling on her surprised friends, standing in the wings. Ruka, Kain, Aido. The ones who hadn't known. She had avoided them for this exact reason. And they tried to conceal it but she had spent enough time with them to notice that they were a bit bothered by the revelation.

Shiki and Ichijo on the other hand were unfazed. They had known already her identity but did they also believe the false circumstances of her deception as Rido had said? Somehow, she doubted it.

"...But please, treat her well. I promised Hana that I would take care of her family."

Rima's ears perked up at the last word before he turned and left the hall with a brilliant smile on his lips. Family. What did he know? He only knew how to take hers away. And what of Miyako? She had never gotten the chance to ask but knew that she might not like the answer. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ruka coming at her with graceful speed. Rima couldn't face her, not now. She passed older vampires going up the stairs and into the halls and they gave her meaningless words of consolation and sympathy. She ignored them all and rushed back to her room where she knew the silence as a friend.

More days passed afterwards, the journey ebbing to a restless conclusion when the cruise reached its final destination to the north of Boston in a secluded port. The crew and passengers thanked the other for such a successful maiden voyage and departed, each their separate ways. Since the arrival time was early in the morning, most of the vampires were tired and did their best to cover themselves with layers of clothes to avoid the sun. Umbrellas were brought out, and some of the more eccentric, skin-weary members resorted to wearing full face masks. Amidst those dissipating crowds was the small group of friends packing their things into a spacious Mercedes Benz SUV.

"Are you sure you guys don't want to come with us? We still have room for more." Kain asked, pushing a pink duffel bag into the stuffed trunk of the vehicle.

Ichijo shook his head. "It's ok. We've got something to do before we leave."

Shiki merely nodded and raised a hand to wave. "Bye bye." And then a yawn.

"Okay then. Give us a call later." Ruka called out from the shotgun. "Oh, and tell Kai that she can come over anytime." A moment's pause made Ruka realize her mistake. "Ah, it's Toya-san now isn't it? Anyways, just tell her."

"You still want to be friends with her?" Aido asked from the open passenger's seat in the back, fully extending his arms and legs across the width of the comfortable seats.

Ruka glared at him and folded her arms. "Why not? We all liked her as Kai, what difference does her name make if it's still the same person? There was a good reason."

Shiki looked up at Ruka who was defiantly staring at Aido, threatening him to oppose, and he saw in her a conviction that he himself was lacking.

"Hmph."

"Ok guys...that's enough. We've gotta go. See ya, Ichijo, Shiki." Kain waved and got into the driver's seat. Ichijo was all smiles and waves and then the two vampires watched the SUV drive off onto the highway.

Ichijo stopped waving when the others were out of sight. Still staring forward, he quietly asked, "Do you think you can believe in her as much as Ruka does, Shiki?"

"I don't believe her 'reason'." Why? There had been no reason to doubt Rido. But he knew his father. There was something more. His shoulders heaved in tension. "I'm hungry. I'm going back to my room."

Ichijo did not push the topic any further. "I guess I have to go with you then, I've got to pick up some of my stuff there too and pack."

They walked back up into the ship. However, before Ichijo could enter the room, he was stopped by a firm, wizened hand on his shoulder. Turning, he saw his grandfather, stern as always.

"Grandfather...What brings you here?"

"You must come with me, Takuma. We have some business to attend to." The older Ichijo demanded.

"Okay." Ichijo complied, hardly in a position. "Shiki, I'll be right back. Please do something productive."

Shiki nodded and watched Ichijo follow Ichio. When he was sure they were gone, he closed the door and laid on his bed, arms and legs spread out as if he was making a snow angel. His eyes drifted off, heavy with sleep. It was the proper time to knock out for a vampire anyways, in the brightness of morning. He was only going to sleep for a bit, just a nap...Ichijo wouldn't mind. No, he hadn't slept properly since Kai became Rima...he didn't want to think about her anymore...Ichijo would take care of it... Zzzzzz...

Knock Knock.

Hmm?

Rima's eyes opened and they searched for the alarm clock she had set out. It read "9:04". But that was not what had woken her up.

Knock, knock.

Not again. Rido's men had done this before and had dragged her off to be drugged last time. Did they think she would fall for this a second time without being prepared? She was ready to spark a bolt here and there at any given second. She opened the door cautiously, quietly, tensely and peered outside. There was no one. But she kept herself wary. She looked down and saw a slip of paper with a wilting rose attached on the floor. Looking around, she quickly reached out for it and brought it inside, locking the door with her one available hand deftly.

She opened the note and read, understanding that her time to get revenge had not passed and her wish would finally come true. The note read:

**Toya Rima,**

**We will finish this in the hull. Your sister's waiting. **

**Rido Kuran**

She would destroy that guileless smirk of his and save her sister. She was out the door before the paper touched the ground.

Meanwhile, it was Shiki's turn to be awakened from his sleep. A knock came from his door and Shiki feared that Ichijo was checking up on him. He hurriedly threw clothes about and stuffed some in his suitcase. It was the least he could do, he thought, momentarily inspecting his handiwork. Then, he moved to the door and opened it.

His guess was affirmed.

Ichijo stood on the other side of that door and uncharacteristically, brushed past the boy without so much as a word. Not extrememly observant by nature, even Shiki was able to notice a subtle difference. Ichijo seemed paler, quieter...

Changed.

"Is something wrong?" Shiki asked.

"Nothing." Ichijo replied shortly. Shiki now observed that his fists were gripped, indicating otherwise. "Do you think you can come and walk with me for a bit?"

Shiki wanted to ask why but thought better; deciding to play along until he knew what was going on. "Okay."

Ichijo exited, beginning to walk away. Shiki closed the door behind him and followed, matching his pace.

Curiousity made him say something that he thought Ichijo would have a reaction to.

"Ichijo, I'm gay."

Pause for a few seconds. Shiki peered up at his face and found nothing. There was definitely something wrong.

"Great." Ichijo replied simply.

Shiki raised an eyebrow but followed nonetheless. However odd, he was his best friend. But..

* * *

**A/N: R&R please! Going to be finished soon in a couple more chapters! Yay! :3 **


	11. Ch11: Conflicted

**Chapter 11: Conflicted**

Rima was down in the hull in less than a minute. She approached the large overbearing doors that stood in between of her and what she knew to be the end. Rima grimaced. Miyako was waiting. With that thought, she pushed forward through the doors. More than half the area was plunged in blackness, and the small area that wasn't, held a face that had haunted Rima's thoughts for months.

There she was, Miyako. She had grown, gangly arms and legs strapped to a chair by leather bands, her head limp and lolled to the side, framed by thin blond hair. Rima sharply inhaled. It was her. And against her better judgement, she instantly crossed meters to her sister's side, listening for her pulse.

Pause.

Good, it was slow and consistent. She was sleeping.

"Miyako, it's me." Rima whispered, joy overwhelming her as she took cool human hands into her own. "Wake up."

She needed to get her out of there before the battle. Rima needed her to be safe. She pulled at the bands, easily breaking them apart as she put Miyako's arm around her shoulder and tried to get her to walk. Despite the strong pulse, Rima could not rouse her. She moved slowly towards the doors, supporting her sister's full weight, and was halfway there until she caught snickers behind her. She turned, greeted by a figure whose face was concealed by shadows. He had masked himself from her, and she was not surprised, she had been expecting it.

What she had not expected was the pain shooting through her core as something sharp found its way into her ribs. She stared at Rido incredulously. Damn! She hadn't noticed. But what puzzled her even more was the glint in his eyes and knowing gaze. So she looked down, and tasted not blood but the bitterness of betrayal. Miyako was the one holding the hilt of the knife. Her sister had woken up to stab her?!

"Night is born of chaos." Rido Kuran moved out of the shadows and finally showed his face to Rima. "And we are the keepers of night. Thus, the chaos shall continue. Isn't that right, Miyako?"

"_Hai_, Rido-sama." The adolescent girl let go of the knife and stepped forward, bowing her head slightly. When she lifted her head, Rima gasped softly.

"Miyako…she…" Finally Rima realized something drastically wrong. Miyako's eyes were different colours; the left was her original colour, a soft glowing green, but the other…it was the unmistakable glow of red. Yet that was not it, for in those mismatched eyes was not a glimmer of recognition. She was a hostile. Rima struggled to hold it back her anger. Now was not the time to lose her control. Especially considering how strong the pureblood in front of her was and how volatile her own powers were. She gripped the hilt herself pulled it out, wincing as the metal now left her insides exposed to the cold air, blood flowing freely before she sealed up the wound.

"You erased her memories." Rima gritted her teeth.

"It was easier," The pureblood shrugged casually and for a silly moment, that small action reminded Rima of...But… She shuddered. She couldn't think that. Not now. Rido continued talking, seeming to have enjoyed what inner turmoil he had caused.

"Let me just add that I had her permission as well. She wanted to forget about the death of her mother, that poor, sweet child. While she was still writhing in pain after I bit her, she begged me to take them away. All of them. She especially didn't want to remember her cries in vain for a sister who wasn't there to protect her. I think that was the saddest part of it all, really." The malicious look destroyed whatever sympathy he had tried to feign.

Rima snarled again, a vicious and inhuman sound erupting from her throat. But though her anger rose even higher, her despair and self-resentment were taking away from her will.

_'Miyako…she…wanted to forget me? No...'_

"Those are lies." She began. "She would never do that. We were…we _**are**_ family."

The blonde clung to those words like a lifejacket, desperate for them to save her. They were family. That phrase alone gave her comfort and assurance when the physical presence of her sister did not. They alone helped her cling to her sanity...They were family.

"Believe what you will. I tell you the truth." Rido shrugged again and shook his head in obvious mirth.

"Liar!" The word left her mouth before she could shut it, causing Rido's lips to form a hard line on his smooth face.

"I've indulged you long enough. Are you insinuating that I, a pureblood, am lying. Those are strong words coming from a girl of your stature, Toya Rima." Faster than the speed of light, Rima found herself being slammed against the metal wall behind her with a hand wrapped around her neck, pressure caving in the sides of her throat. She choked, her eyes already dilating as Rido applied even more pressure with his hand. She saw her sister calmly watching him choke her to death and felt anguish once more, strongly felt even beyond the depths of physical pain. She attempted to lift her hand towards Miyako, but even that small movement was useless as her body began to shut down.

_'Miyako…Mother…'_ Their faces flashed before her eyes and then one other face joined them. '_Shiki…I...'_

"He's here…" The words barely registered in Rima's mind as suddenly as they had choked her, the stone-cold hands had let go of her throat as he moved backwards to where Miyako was standing, quietly watching Rima drop to the floor like a lifeless doll. Only her harsh breathing could be heard.

_'Who?'_ She wondered, thankful for the chance to breath but even that simple task proved difficult. She had never felt so drained in her life. She stared at Rido who was almost eager-looking as he eyed the door with interest. She followed his gaze and steeled herself, wondering whether she would still feel thankful or become fearful when whoever-it-was walked through the door.

Or should she say _ripped_ open the doors.

A loud metal _SCREECH_ echoed in the closed room.

"Shiki…" Rima whispered softly in disbelief, her eyes growing wider by the second. Shiki ignored his father and held her gaze. Her usually blank face was filled with emotions now, the whole of them being freely expressed across her face. Surprise, and regret first. Then, Joy, anger, fear. Each feeling melted into the next until it was just an overwhelmed face of sadness.

_'I've already prepared to be slain for blood long ago...I do not fear it now.' _But she had never wanted Shiki to... She stared into his eyes for the longest time and frowned.

"Rima..."

Senri couldn't find a way to voice his thoughts to her. How could he tell her without hurting himself in the process?

"Senri. How nice of you to join us."

"What did you do to her?" Shiki ignored the pleasantries.

"I was merely teaching her a lesson.." Rido replied nonchalantly as if they were discussing the morning specials.

"By killing her." Shiki stated severely.

_If he hadn't come... _

"Well, yes. If you want to put it that way." Rido said thoughtfully, heterochromatic eyes definitely amused. "Senri, you've grown up since I last saw you but are you telling me that my puppet would choose a girl over his own master?"

Shiki did not speak, silently seething at the jab. Again, he looked at Rima and for a second time, looked away. Rido's question provided the lead-in to other questions that had stuck with him ever since he had found out about her deception.

Do I believe her?

Can I trust her?

Why do I care?

_Yes_. _Yes... _

He had...he did, he still did. Ever since they had met, he hadn't doubted her for even a second. But why?

A singular thought occured and swept away every other.

_Did it matter?_

Glaring up at Rido with both clear eyes and mind, he found his answer.

_No._

* * *

**A/N: After revising how I've broken up my chapters...I must confess that I did lie when I said this story would be wrapped up in "a few chapters" heh. Gomen. The chapters also will be shorter than the initial wordcounts because I didn't realize how long it was to read 5,000 words in one go haha. But R&R please! Always glad to hear what people think~ :3 **_  
_


	12. Ch12: Blood Feud

**Chapter 12: Blood Feud**

"I see. You don't dare disappoint, son." Rido smiled and simultaneously brought his left hand up and tore a deep gash with his fangs in the center of his palm. With his unholy blood gushing forth, Rido blinked and immediately the drips of blood that had fallen rose and grew, suspended in the air by an invisible force. They took the form of arrows and aimed themselves maliciously at Shiki. "Since the girl here is tired out, how about we have a friendly duel instead?"

Shiki said nothing but acknowledged the fight by lifting his right hand in response. He bit the top of each of his fingers and allowed his precious life force flow down his palm, materializing into multiple whip-like apparatuses. He knew that Rido's strength far outranked his but an unknown desire made it unimportant.

"Miyako, retrieve the dagger." Rido ordered, not even looking at her. She could not disobey, his word was absolute. Shiki did not let on his puzzlement about the Level D's presence to his father, but having noticed right away the blood-stained blade in Rima's hand, assumed it must have been that.

It was then that the battle began.

The arrows unexpectedly were engulfed in flames, simultaneously shooting at Shiki. He took a huge leap backwards to clear their range and began to swing the whips in a circle in front of him, forming a mobile shield that deflected any other stray arrows away from him. Rido laughed at the simple defence and summoned more projectiles from his blood, increasing the agility and potency of each one sent out at his son. Though hard-pressed under Rido's missiles, Shiki managed to dodge again and escape injury as the assault carried on. He tried to think of a plan but before things could solidify, he noticed a stray projectile headed in Rima's direction. His eyes dilated. Shiki lowered the shield and allowed it to disengage and exist as five separate entities again. Agilely, he ran to her and intercepted the arrow with a fling of his whips. It dissipated easily under the strength of the whips and he reached her side safely. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught the other girl running in the opposite direction. He would not bother with her, his full attention riveted now on Rima whose eyes were still closed and her breathing harsh. From the evidence, Rido had spared no strength and had nearly crushed her throat. Her vampire body would heal soon but... Shiki turned around just in time to avoid a large crystalline spear that dug itself deep into the floor of the ship. Luckily, it missed Rima by inches but still, it was too close. Its berth had punctured a hole through which water slowly started to emerge from in tiny streams along the twisted metal.

"Oh, it seems I've made a little hole in my ship." Rido commented cheerfully during that shocking pause. "No matter."

The two men watched each other intently but Shiki was sure he was the only one taking this seriously. Rido was still a pureblood, no matter how skillful Shiki was. But that didn't mean he would lose.

Shiki moved backwards and placed Rima in the corner. Before setting off to face Rido a second time, Rima's eyes opened and her mouth formed words.

"Shiki...Miyako...my sister...Please..." She tried to lift her head to say more but he felt her forehead with his hand and pushed it down gently.

"I'll get her." He said intensely and Rima inhaled sharply, gripping his free hand. He noticed the blade beside her

"Please..." Her eyes pleaded with him. "Don't hurt her, she..."

Shiki took his hand from hers and ran at Rido, his feet making small splatters due to the increasing water level that had covered a half of the floor already. Gripping his hand that formed the whips, he noticed that Rido was standing in a place already covered in water to his advantage. He kept running but dipped the whips of blood into the water and let them dissolve across the water's area. Shiki began to sweat as he tried to keep his control of the blood as it travelled swiftly towards Rido. He had to wait for it to surround him, distract him and then look for Miyako.

_'Now!'_ He thought.

Spikes of blood shot up from the water, piercing anything in the water. Metal was sliced like butter by them but Rido was sly. He had anticipated this and dodged the spikes effortlessly. Using areas that were untouched by the water as stepping stones, he came within reach of Shiki. Shiki, knowing that he wouldn't be able to withdraw the blood whips from the water in time, released his telekinetic hold on them. He felt light-headed as he escaped Rido's grasp, throwing himself to the side. The amount of blood lost would indefinitely kill a human, sheer determination the only thing barring him from keeling over. He kept an eye on Rido's movements, fiercely hating the constant look of amusement on his face. He focused the rest of his senses on locating Miyako. Dodging more bloody projectiles, Shiki scanned the room and found her in a corner, near the entrance, frightened but holding something close to her chest. Before he could call out her name, he sensed another presence outside the doors that he had clawed open. He tasted guilt and self-hatred and recognized who it was.

Beckoning five more whips from his fingertips, Shiki copied Rido and sent out multiple missiles for distraction. He had to get Miyako to safety. When he neared her, she crouched down, making to run away with a fan clutched to her chest. _This_ was manageable for him, it would be over in a moment. He put his hands over her eyes. It was an odd skill, yet Shiki drew out her exhaustion, persuading her to slip into an unconscious state.

And at the edge of her awareness, Shiki assured her that it was okay.

Then he tore off his jacket, wrapped her in the thick material and carried her to the entrance where he laid her in the cover of the shadows.

"Keep her safe." He said to the nothingness. And for the final time, he whispered, "It's okay.." Shiki didn't understand why he had done what he had done, but he would forgive Ichijo.

He turned to face Rido once more but a force immediately made impact in his ribs, sending him crashing into the steel-reinforced walls. He slid down to his feet, only just standing. His stricken side bled profusely at the sheer force of the lash, tainting the rising water.

"Urgh..."

Shiki bit his lip to let no other sound escape and readied himself for more. His father was finally giving him the time of day; he couldn't waste it by dying, could he? He just barely cracked a smile.

With a string of new airborne attacks, Rido approached. His whips relentlessly sliced through the air and Shiki, though injured, kept moving. It cost him a great deal of effort just to avoid getting hit, and he soon realized what little strength he was left with. He tried to move the hand that controlled the whips... and found that his right arm could not move. It swung uselessly at his side.

_'Damn_!' Shiki thought, releasing control of the blood whips yet again in that arm. This was starting to take its toll on his system, making him more unsteady and unfocused. He tore the skin on his left hand and called upon new whips that moved precariously as he flexed. Rido took advantage of this. More whips descended from the ceiling down onto the young vampire. Shiki evaded them but many smaller projectiles had also been shot down and had pierced his legs, making it even more unbearable to move around.

His initial excitement already beginning to fade, Rido decided that it was time to end this charade. Increasing up to multiple strikes would be effective once the prey was weakened and had its mobility limited. Ah, the joy of the hunt. It exhilarated him. Just as he had killed off Hana.

His eyes narrowed in mirth. Exhilarating indeed!

Shiki, oblivious to Rido's musings, tried to ward off the smaller strikes by staying in one place but once he saw a flight of hundreds more heading down, that plan went out the door. He kept running and running, trying to escape but in the end they caught him and pounded down with the weight of a concrete brick each time they struck. They smashed him into the floor, causing further cracks and small holes that let the seawater into the ship's hull. Rima awoke to the splashing of a small tide against her face as the water level rose to where she was. The taste of salt in her mouth, she spat and though dizzy, looked around to locate the sounds of the battle. Her eyes met the fearful sight when Shiki was struck down by Rido's blood.

"Shiki!" A harsh whisper escaped her bruised throat that ached with every swallow. Her eyes dilated as she tried to stand, using the metal around her as support. Clouds of smoke and grinded titanium, and the smell of strong copper assaulted her senses but she could make out his figure in the dust. Stumbling, but still alive. She thanked God.

_'Rima...' _Shiki had heard her. She had called his name.

"Shiki!"

He looked up with the beginnings of a smile...just as Rido materialized in front of him with a spear forming in his left palm, aimed straight for his heart. Rima watched in horror as the two of them tumbled out of sight.

_No..._

_"_Shiki!"

* * *

**A/N:** _DUN DUN DUNNNNN! _Sorry, always wanted to do that heh. _"

Wonder what happened to Shiki?! Is this the end for the finally blossoming relationship between Shiki Number One and Rima?! Stay tuned ( ^,^ ) /

Oh, and **R&R~! :3 **


	13. Ch13: Once and For All

**Chapter 13: Once and For All **

It was pure impulse that led Shiki to raise his left hand as well and greet the spear before it struck his heart. His scream shot through the hull at the moment of impact but it was swiftly hushed by the death grip of Rido's right hand. Despaired that his right arm was no longer functioning, Shiki struggled against Rido who still held his left. This would be the end. He summoned the last of his strength to fight back one last time and with a cry, extended the length and solidity of the whips and as they hung over Rido's backside, plunged them straight through the Pureblood's body without remorse. Five large and hardened spears lodged themselves in Rido's back and Shiki was strangely pleased to see his father cough up blood. But even though Rido had been given the final strike, he was far from dead. Shiki, on the other hand, was hanging on the edge of death. And Rido, relishing this moment, increased the pressure around Shiki's throat. Harder and harder, his fist clenched the slim, pale throat as Shiki choked and spit blood onto his hand. The younger man could feel his life seeping away and wondered whether he had done enough to save Rima. Rido saw his peaceful face and just like that, released his hand as the alarm for the water breach began to blare. He wouldn't kill his son. No, he might be useful in the future, and...if Amaya found out, she would cause unnecessary problems for him. Yes, it was better if he lived...for now.

Because Shiki had finally lost consciousness, his control had vanished as well. The blood whips dissolved from Rido's back and drenched his entire body. As the alarm warned of a lockdown of the breached area in the next five minutes, Rido stood up and walked away from Shiki's body in order to deal with his next tiny problem. To his surprise though, he found out that the problem had decided to come to him first when a bolt of raging hot fire embedded in his back where the wound from Shiki had not healed yet.

"Rima..." Rido turned his head to face her, the young woman who was leaning against a crushed metal ring that had popped free during the battle. "Did anyone ever tell you not to attack behind another's BACK!"

At that moment, Rido's quick temper spiked and broke the bolt in a flurry of blood whips that were all aimed at Rima. She did not attempt to move, instead, with dim blue eyes, choosing to stand her ground. Rido did not expect to see the flash of a grin on the shadowy face as his blood whips struck, especially not before hearing her say:

Then he felt a sharp pain in his chest where his heart was...

"For the Kurans, my mother, Miyako...and Senri."

He was staring off into space, wondering why he tasted the sweetness of blood in his mouth only now. But at the sound of her voice, he slowly looked down to the hard-breathing brat who had stabbed him.

"For their time..."

He stared down into her eyes and started to laugh at the sight of the tiny blade stuck in his chest and the blood that was pooling out from it.

"I'll rob you of yours."

And she pushed deeper, the sacred bindings and inscriptions around the blade beginning to illuminate and Rido felt as if he were being stabbed again and again though her hands never moved.

"Chronos..." Rima whispered, "Take his time."

The light grew brighter, so bright that even Rima could not see Rido beyond the extent of the blade. It shone so bright and the light eventually began to creep up her arm, taking hold of her as it had Rido. It was time for the exchange. It crept faster, her forearm, her shoulder, her neck and then up to the tip of her head, engulfing her entire being. Rima did not struggle; she had accepted long ago that there would be a sacrifice. She was willing to die so that Rido would pay.

She did not know when she had closed her eyes, but an instant later, she found herself opening them, lying in a pool of water, shivering cold. She stood up but immediately fell back to the ground, an intense and crippling pain running through her body. She curled up into a ball as it jeopardized her consciousness, wracking with illness. She looked around. Rido...Where was he? Was this his doing?

She searched again, he was not there. And neither was the blade named Chronos. Had he truly disappeared?

She tried to stand again and excruciatingly, accomplished a crumpled stance. It was then that she realized that she had completed her task...and that Chronos had taken its compensation. She was now...Level E. Her sensitive body was now that of the vampires who had once been human.

Her eyes fell upon the still form of Shiki and she gasped, forgetting self-concern, unaware of the boom of the alarm. She staggered towards him, moving up a high slope that thankfully kept him from being swallowed by the seawater.

Shiki.

Rima gazed down at his blood-soaked face and body. Why had he fought for her? He shouldn't have. He should've condemned her and left. But he hadn't. No, he had stayed and _chosen __**her**_. For her. But her time had come. He would have to forget who she was because...she wouldn't exist for very long. As a Level E, she would soon lose her sanity and fall into madness. That was her sacrifice, the price she had to pay. That was what she was leaving behind. She didn't want him to see her like that, resent her for her choice; she didn't want him to remember her that way.

So she would leave now, as he slept. His chest moved ever so slightly. She touched his bare skin and shivered. He would live, but just barely. She leaned forward over his head and kissed his cold lips. She hoped that she would leave a bit of warmth behind, something to be missed.

"Senri. I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

_I'm sorry. _

_I'm sorry. _

_I'm so sorry._

* * *

**A/N: Hm, what does Rima plan to do now? What wll become of Shiki?**_  
_

**R&R please! :) **


	14. Ch14: Forget Me Not

**Chapter 14: Forget Me Not**

"I'm sorry...I'm so sorry."

Rima now stood at the entrance to the hull, the alarm counting off the 10 second intervals of the remaining two minutes until lockdown. Yet it was not she who was asking for forgiveness. It was the man who was clutching her sister's body tightly to his chest out in the hallway.

"Ichijo..."

His hair plastered to his forehead and bloodshot eyes, Ichijo Takuma's face was a mask of extreme remorse. His eyes followed hers to the girl in his arms and guessing what she was thinking, he shook his head.

"No...she's ok. But this..."

He gulped, looking inside at Shiki who did not move.

"Shiki...and Rido, and you. If I could have done something more...If I hadn't been under his control, I would have..."

And he stopped, at a loss for words.

"One minute to lockdown. Please evacuate the area." The alarm announced. Ichijo looked up and stared straight into Rima's eyes, blue and unyielding. She saw the guilt in them far before he spoke again and knew that he was one of the few people who had truly cared. Period. She knew that he would have done anything that he could have to help. She knew that like her, Shiki would also forgive him of his part in this.

"I'm so sorry Rima... For this to happen to you, I'm so sorry for all of this." Ichijo, his voice cracking, looked horrible and Rima almost wanted to laugh. She must look just as bad, or worse. "I know what that blade did to you. I know what Chronos has done."

Rima was not surprised, Ichijo was a high-ranked vampire himself. Of course he would know of such a weapon.

A thought crossed her mind. Maybe he knew of a way to undo what Chronos had done to her. Maybe she could live a normal life again...Maybe. But as the alarm announced the forty second mark to lockdown, she knew she had to go.

She stumbled towards Ichijo and when he panicked to help her forward, she raised a hand and shook her head. She did not need help. Rima touched her little sister's hair and could feel the flow of the blood in that small body from that single touch. Her fangs began to ache and Rima was stunned at the lack of control she had on her blood lust. She used to have no problem being around humans but now...just being around a single human made her throat dry. Her dignity held back the lust and she swallowed hard, ignoring insanity. She moved a strand of wet hair from Miyako's face and wondered whether she would ever see her again. She dearly hoped so but as long as she was alive, Rima was content with leaving it as that. Looking back one last time to Shiki's form amidst the chaos of the hull, she turned to Ichijo and smiled sadly.

"Take care of them Ichijo." And she darted out of his sight.

Ichijo stared into the darkness, just as melancholic. It seemed like her final goodbye.

"Twenty seconds to lockdown. Please evacuate the area..."

He looked up and stared beyond the confines of the ceiling, to somewhere, someone watching from far off.

"Kaname, sometimes, I hate you."

...

**END.**

* * *

**A/N: An act that even Ichijo thinks is too sad to bear for the young Toya Rima. Enough so that he displays hatred for Kaname's part in it. *sigh* So it comes to an end where the lovers will not have a chance to be together. That's how the dice rolls I guess! Thank you to everyone who have been reading this! R&R please! :3 **


	15. Ch15: Her Lingering Scent

**Chapter 15: Her Lingering Scent**

"_Senri, I'm sorry, I'm sorry." _

Rima?

"_I'm sorry..." _

For what?

She was standing there, serene with the fiery backdrop of a sunset behind her. Looking around, Shiki realized that he was on the deck of the ship, and she on the outside of the railing. Rima was leaning against it and her hair blew in front of her face, obscuring her features save for incessant blue eyes. They watched him intently, unchanging and never blinking as Rima began to lean backwards, her back arching gracefully. She hung dangerously on the edge by the strength of her hands. Thin fingers gripped the railing with light ease, the body they supported swaying waifishly in the breeze. Suddenly, the wind grew stronger, blowing from all directions. The nonchalant figure before him seemed to crumple under its force. Shiki stood frozen, gaping.

_'Rima...what are you doing?'_ He asked but his voice would not come out.

Her voice echoed in his mind once more.

"_I'm so sorry..."_

And like a heavy stone, she fell. Just like that.

Her head, her torso, her legs, they disappeared behind the railing before he could do anything.

And his legs finally moved. He rushed to the edge of the railing and reached out, searching for her hand.

But he caught air, and leaned too forward, and followed after her.

He was still reaching for her when his eyes opened and were blinded by bright fluorescent lights.

He was on his back now, lying down in blankets of white and red.

There were people standing around him, dressed similarly in the unstained white, fussing and making noise around the bed that he lay on. But he couldn't understand them, there was just an incomprehensible buzzing each time one of them opened their mouths. He looked at each one's face and was found with anguish in the end.

"Where is she?" He asked.

And three months later, he awoke with the same question on his tongue.

"Where is she?"

He looked around. The white-clothed people were no longer there and there were no blinding lights in his eyes. But, there had been...a woman? Who? The dreamscape was already slipping away from his memory. What had he dreamed about? But more importantly, where was he?

He was on a sofa. Looking at the black fabric and then at his surroundings, the connection in Shiki's mind failed to click. The clean white tiled floor, the limestone fireplace, and the red and blue curtains that hung alongside glass doors. And somewhere, a clock chimed. He found it and saw that it read five. Was it morning?

"It's too early..." Shiki complained but found it useless to try and sleep again. So he yawned and slowly sat up, grabbing at the top of the sofa to help pull him up. He swung his legs to the side and wondered where he was a second time. He looked down at the glass coffee table in front of him and squinted at the glare of the sun reflecting off the surface.

"How did I get here...?" He lifted a hand in front of his face and looked away from the light, noticing the remote control on top next to yesterday's daily newspaper. "Right...TV..." He muttered slowly, remembering the thriller that he was watching the night before. He must have dozed off and Ichijo must have turned the TV sometime after. Now he remembered...This was one of Ichijo's many private villas in the States. Where exactly? He remembered hearing something about Oregon? But talking about Ichijo...just where was he?

"Ichijo!" Shiki called out, still sitting on the sofa. He started to bounce up and down, enjoying the little pleasure but soon stopped when he heard no reply from his friend. Taking a second look around, it hit him. "Ah right. This is his villa. Villa..."

He stood up and headed behind the sofa to where a small bachelor-style kitchen was. Eying the half-full coffee-pot on the counter, Shiki took a mug from the cupboard and went to pour himself a cup. The hot searing liquid burnt his lips the moment it touched and Shiki withdrew from its heat, licking his lips in order to cool them down. Ichijo most definitely was awake by now.

"Ichijo!" He called again but the blond did not appear. "Must be out.."

Shiki opened another cupboard beside the fridge and reached in to search the shelves. His hand grabbed onto some kind of box in the back and as he pulled it out, his eyes lighted up. Chocolate Pocky. He opened the package and placed one in his mouth.

Snap!

He picked up three more and ate them at the same time.

Snap! Snap! Snap!

And then he drank his coffee...and nearly gagged.

"It's bitter." Surprised at the combination, Shiki set down the mug and the pocky on the island at the center of the kitchen. As he leaned on the counter, he observed the two of them together and wondered since when had he began to eat chocolate. It had been a habit for him to purchase chocolate pocky at the store but he was beginning to miss the sweetness of strawberry.

_Why don't I eat strawberry anymore?_

And his memories of _**her**_ resurfaced.

"_I'll give you a strawberry Pocky pack if you pretend you didn't see me."_

_Shiki nodded. "Ok then."_

_The girl graced him with the smallest illusion of a smile and rummaged in her jacket pocket for a pink pack of the snack. She threw it to him and he easily caught it as he watched her turn around and walk towards the cargo hold. _

_Holding the pack in his hand without looking at it, Shiki decided to ask her one last time. Just for the heck of it. _

"_Are you sure you don't recognize me?"_

_The girl looked back and he saw that same amused smile flutter across her lips._

"_No." _

Shiki shook his head. No, he didn't want to remember.

Yet the memories kept slipping through the cracks.

_He bit of a huge piece of the three and the same time and then held out the box towards Kai with his hand._

"_Do you want some?" He asked simply._

_There was a piece of the strawberry cream left on the side of her lip and Shiki pointed at her face, not caring if it was rude or not._

"_There."_

"_What there?" Kai questioned, taken back that he was now pointing at her face. Was there something on it?_

"_There." He pointed at the exact same place as Kai tried to wipe off whatever it was. She rubbed in the wrong place and looked to him again curiously. Shiki shook his head and stood up with a fluid grace._

"_There."_

"_Here?"_

_He shook his head._

"_There?"_

"_Here?" Kai rubbed at another spot on her face, getting fed up with guessing where it was._

His legs began to shake and then head in hands, Shiki fell onto a nearby stool.

No...

"_Do you like anyone, Shiki?" Ichijo asked out of the blue to his friend who had successfully opened the box and was munching away at three pocky sticks at a time. Shiki pointed at himself with the pocky in his mouth and a dumbfounded look on his face, his eyes expressing nothing._

"_Yes, you!" Ichijo said._

_Shiki shrugged and pushed off Ichijo's arm from his shoulder. Then he scanned the room and after seeing Kai, he cocked his head and walked over to Kai and offered the pocky box to her. _

_Do you want some? _

_Ichijo had known that there had never been a need to ask. _

"You."

His lips uttered that quiet sound, unnaturally clammy hands pressed against his face. The pocky stick had fallen from his mouth and dropped onto the counter, breaking into pieces.

'That was why...'

Shiki blinked and finally closed his eyes in disbelief. How could he forget, even for a second? And then he realized who he had seen in his dream...

Rima.

"Ha.." He exclaimed shortly. It seemed like all the Level E assignments he's been taking from the Council were starting to take their toll on him.

How many days has it been?

Nearly a hundred. Three months, just like that. But wasn't that one of the benefits he gained from taking on the role of a hunter? Being able to lose himself and forget the past, even for just a few minutes?

He thought about it and couldn't lie.

Yes, he found that to be an added bonus to his original goal. He had initially wanted to use the Council's resources in exchange for his services. But they could only help him get so close in his search for her. He had followed countless leads, had heard of many sightings because of those resources. Card use in San Francisco, a gas station surveillance tape in a small town in Iowa, a phone conversation that matched her voice's wavelength...But in the end, it was all useless. He still couldn't catch her, the object of his desire always steps ahead.

"Where is she?" Shiki laid out the question for the silence to answer, his sanity on edge.

The question hung there in the stillness...until it was answered by the familiar turnings of a lock.

Shiki shifted in his seat and sat up straight, his ears perking up ever so slightly.

Ichijo was back.

He heard the door click shut almost soundlessly and the careful footsteps across the hardwood floor of padded socks. Ichijo was trying his best not to wake up his house guests but was in for a surprise when he found one said houseguest bright-eyed and awake at the kitchen island.

"Ahh...Shiki, morning." Ichijo greeted listlessly, his voice void of the usual excitement.

Yet however odd he found it, Shiki did not question him, just nodding in reply.

Distraught, Ichijo continued. "You have another assignment from the Council."

"Oh." Shiki said, taking notice of a beige folder in Ichijo's right hand. His light blue eyes flashed back up to Ichijo's face as the blond sifted through the folder and disturbed the order of the papers inside.

Finally, he picked out one that carried the information he wanted. "The profile says that there's been a suspicious sighting in the area of Winchester Bay, quite near here, I think. Just to the north. It's to be a low-key investigation."

He closed the folder and gave it one last glance before reluctantly sliding it across the counter to Shiki's waiting hands. Then, just as hesitant, he tapped his fingers on the surface and spoke again.

"Do you want me to come with you?"

Shiki shook his head. Though he was tired and lacked enough sleep, the opponent he would face was still a Level E and as an aristocrat, it was his duty to get rid of them. His pride refused Ichijo's assistance. He needed this anyways, to grow stronger, so that when he found her... "I can handle it."

Shiki pushed the stool back and stood, heading, with a yawn, in the direction of his room.

Ichijo just stood there and waited. "Yeah, I know." He said.

Minutes later, Shiki stepped out of his room in simple attire for the day's work. A sport's jacket, black buttoned up shirt, a white scarf and faded blue jeans with sturdy combat boots to complete the outfit; the clothes were a part of anyone's normal everyday wear but on a model like Shiki, a collective work of art. Raising the white scarf up around his neck, Shiki walked over to where multiple sets of keys were hanging, next to the front entrance.

"Hmmm..." Shiki mumbled to himself. Which car should he take?

Ichijo came up from behind him and guessed what the dilemma was. "Try not to attract too much attention." He hinted.

Shiki grimaced and pulled out a pair of sunglasses which he placed lopsidedly on the bridge of his nose. "Then...the Ferrari. Bye Ichijo."

Dismayed, Ichijo slapped his forehead after Shiki walked out the door. "Right, the bright yellow car! Definitely not noticeable...not at all."

He heard the garage screech open and came halfway out the door, leaning against the door frame as he had so many times before. He watched Shiki scan the impressive array of vehicles that were parked in the villa's garage and then get into the revered sports car at the very end. The engine was started and the Ferrari reversed out from the driveway. Ichijo approached him and despite receiving a look from Shiki as he slid down the car windows, came up beside the driver's seat. Pulling something out from his back pocket, Ichijo leaned forward through the window and pressed it into Shiki's hands. When he moved back, Shiki opened them and found a tiny spray bottle. There was a pause and then Shiki stared back up at his friend and smiled.

"Thanks. I'll see you later."

The car backed out onto the road and as Ichijo turned away, he heard the changing of gear shifts, and the engine rev, and the gripping of the wheels on asphalt as it sped away. That same moment though, Ichijo's composure seemed to come apart, piece by piece. It started to chip off when he thought of what he had just done, the second crime he had possibly committed against Shiki. He covered his face with slightly trembling hands and wondered if he could forgive himself if...

He didn't allow himself to finish the thought.

"Why? Like this...they..." His voice cracked.

But reason told him that this was their chance...

"Taku-nii?" A girl's voice called from the house. Ichijo looked up to see her standing in a frilly nightgown by the door.

"Miyako." His eyes softened once he caught sight of the young human girl in the doorway. She was an oddity, this girl. From what he had gathered from Shiki, she had been a Level D, presumably by Rido's fangs. However, she had no fangs nor blood lust, and more importantly, no signs of falling to E. Miraculously, it was like she had reverted back to her time as a human.

Rubbing sleepy eyes, the thin girl came out in fuzzy pink slippers and sat on the smooth steps in front of him. Looking around and then turning wide eyes up to him, she said his name again. "Taku-nii? Where did Shi-chan go?"

Shi-chan...her name for Shiki. Rima would've liked that.

Ichijo gently smiled as he knelt down before her and wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace. "Shi-chan went to meet someone Miyako. Don't worry, he'll be back."

Miyako did not doubt Ichijo's words but silently in her innocence, she wondered why he was trembling so much.

'_Truly,'_ Ichijo thought as he hugged the warm body closer to him. Miyako's hand came around his shoulder and patted his head carefully. Another smile touched his lips and the tremors lessened as his mind drifted. He could imagine her right then and there, by the beach, listening to the crash of waves from where she was...

He closed his eyes and visualized them. The two figures face to face, the rise and fall of white foam on the shore, the call of gulls in the distance, the smell of seaweed scattered across chipped shells and wet stones...

* * *

**A/N:** Okay...so obviously the last chapter wasn't the end, but there's more to come hehe. I had fun writing a slightly angsty Shiki, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter too! R&R pls!

And also, for those Ichijou fans out there, I've already posted up the first chapter of my newest ff, _Love, Chopin_, where I'm carrying over the older Toya Miyako as my OC pairing with Takuma. :3 Check it out!


	16. Ch16: Black Reunion

**Chapter 16: Black Reunion**

When her eyes opened against the cold sea-flavored breeze, Rima found herself right where she had started.

Alone.

She stood on a wooden pole that was one of many leading out into the sea from the shore, sort of like stepping stones. Gazing out at the flat horizon, the glint of the sun peeked over what was the world's end and seared its image into her eyes as small waves crashed against the pole, splashing freezing droplets across her legs and feet. Her sandals swung lazily in one hand, the other toying with a compass around her neck. She flipped the golden cover and Inside, found the arrow pointing at a steady north. She thought of the little girl who had given it to her the other night and wondered how she and her grandfather were doing.

"It's thanks to them that I'm still sane..."

She gripped the compass and let it drop back against her chest with the lid snapped in place.

"_And I repay their kindness by leaving without a word.'_ She thought ruefully. Turning, she began the short journey back to the sand dunes. One step here, another there. Her balance was impeccable and she floated across the poles. Yet though her poise was sharp, her nose was sharper still, and the second time the wind picked up and blew past her. There was a strange scent. He...She...or whatever it was, was heading her way, an entity Rima could not identify. Uneasily, she smiled. That could only mean one thing for someone like her. She suddenly felt like laughing, but choked. She was in no hurry to return to shore now, the entity still a distance away. The waves began to rescind as she moved closer to shore. It was still low tide at this early hour. She finally reached the shore and jumped down from the last wooden pole onto wet and heavy sand. Her feet failed to sink and she walked unhindered to a group of large boulders sitting at the water's edge. Avoiding the sharp edges, she deftly jumped up and looked for a dry place to sit. She found a smooth area that faced the sea. Taking care as she sat in her white dress, her tiny silhouette became a mere statue. She threw her slippers down onto the sand. She would have no need for them in a couple of minutes. It was closer now and the heavy fog that had fallen across the beach was impeding her view. She could see a shadow and averted her eyes out to sea one final time. She could hear the whistling of the long grass in the wind and took off the compass and set it down beside her. Miyako would have liked it but there would be no way for her to see her anymore. Taking a deep breath, she prepared herself for the vampire hunter's strike.

* * *

Shiki sniffed himself and felt disconcerted by the lack of scent. The spray that Ichijo had given him was definitely working. The Level E wouldn't notice a thing until Shiki gave the ending blow. Hopefully, he would encounter it before the smell of seaweed stuck to his clothes. It was distracting and too strong for his liking…he only like the dried kind when he ate his tamago sushi. He allowed his mind to wander for that instance as he walked through the fog that obstructed his view. He sensed that there was an opening approaching quickly in the fog and the moment he cleared through it, was hit with the smell of the Level E.

And it was familiar.

But still, he couldn't see it. A blanket of whiteness successfully covered his prey. He saw a set of boulders on the shore. After, he cursed himself for leaving the profile documents in the seat of his car. He should've taken the time to see who he was searching for. A gust rose from the sea as the tide crawled in and it alleviated the cover of the fog, long enough for him to see glimpses of blond hair fly down a silvery white back. It stood out blankly before a dampen sky and though he couldn't see its face, he could tell it knew he was there. Its rigidity confirmed it but at the same time, as he looked more closely, he found that there was something else lined in its figure.

'_Odd…'_ Shiki thought before moving closer. Acceptance. They usually tried to run but if this one wanted to die quickly, he would surely comply. He nipped the skin off his fingertips.

"Do it now." A clear voice cut through the air. And his mind, stopping his heart.

It was a female, but not only that...

It couldn't be…

The voice spoke again with more chagrin. "Are you just going to stand there or-"

The Level D turned her head and their eyes made instant contact. Shaken, Shiki took a step backward, trying to regain his composure.

'_Rima...'_

'_Shiki...'_

_..._

_Doushite?_

* * *

**A/N: **After almost 100 days, they meet again, but this time, under different circumstances, and what's more, that of a falling Level D and her hunter! What will happen next?!

R&R and stay tuned!


	17. Ch17: The Hunter's Choice

**Chapter 17: The Hunter's Choice**

Shiki was conscious of her debilitated state even as she jumped down onto even ground. He was quite aware of his blood dripping at his side. When they formed into whips in front of him, he was wide awake and compelled them to wrap around her body. They swiftly encompassed her thin neck and tightened. It troubled Shiki that her eyes showed no change. They were as emotionless and blank as the first day he met her. He blinked, erasing the thought from his mind. He was not there to analyze her.

He was there to kill her.

Rima glanced down to the whips and then looked away. The man before her, his face was one that she didn't know she had missed until that very moment. His blue eyes were staring straight at her and it killed her to see the conflict that was written over his face. She squashed the small hope it resurrected. For a long time, she had accepted that death was necessary for her repentance. It's just that she had never thought that Shiki would be the one to end it for her.

Shiki didn't want to. Of course, he was obligated to the Senate as a hunter to destroy the Level Ds on the verge of falling but he really could care less. After all, he had only taken the position in order to search for her. So now that he had found her, he had no problem abandoning the order. Yet, his actions had shown him that he had another problem. His bloody whips were holding her hostage and though he was in control, he suspected that his emotions may just have a better hold than his reason.

It seemed his confusion for the past three months had finally resurfaced. He had never truly understood the real reason as to why he had to search for her. Just that he had to. Was it attributed to the dark feelings he had felt when he had first learned that she was not who she said she was and could have possibly been playing them all? Or to something deeper that he had shared with her, something that had emerged that night when he had fought Rido and had fallen unconscious?

What could he do for her, but kill? She was on the way to Level E. She would eventually fall into madness. How else could he save her?

Shiki wracked his mind but outwardly, his cold appearance did not change. Even Rima did not notice his inner turmoil but then again, she was lost in her own.

They faced each other and stared, endless questions communicated through just their eyes.

Her heart beat and raced in her chest. The whips were just getting tighter and tighter, cutting off her circulation, the blood of her victims looking for a way out. But his scent that had been hidden by the hunters' concoction was returning and distracted her. She would never to be able to touch him again, but this was enough. She rejoiced in the deviant pleasure. However, a question pierced the glee, her concern for her sister presenting itself.

"Where's Miyako?" She asked.

Immersed in her presence, it took Shiki a while later to reply. "She's with Ichijo but she-"

He was interrupted by a sigh of relief and thought better of mentioning the bizarre memory loss the young girl was suffering from. So he kept his lips closed.

"Shiki. I'm ready."

Reality hit and his fingers clenched, clawing at empty air at his sides. What could he do? A Level E. She would drop, she would fall into an unrecognizable state, driven by insane hunger and instinct. What could he do? Her eyes were not the beautiful blue he remembered, they were an intense red that hold only tiny specks of its former hue. Her life was within his grasp and he could extinguish it and save her with death. But where would that leave him? Feeling as empty as he had these three months for the rest of his life? If things came to that, he would truly be a mere doll, and that had nearly killed him. He looked up to the sky and wondered when was the last time he had felt so confused, so scared. It was when he had fought Rido, when he had said that he had chosen _**her**_, and not his father. Her... Rima.

He released more blood whips from his fingertips and flung them at her, lashing them at her body. The moment they made contact with her arms and legs, Shiki heard the snap cut through skin and sow blood. She bled profusely but her eyes were still obstinate. She wanted this.

She did not struggle once against her chains to fight back the assault but her face was contorted by pain, longing, desperation...They echoed in his soul but simultaneously, he thought that if she was dead, he would be released from everything, all these troublesome things that made him care more than he wanted to. They made him give more than he wanted to, made him feel more than he thought he could handle. His hatred, anger at her betrayal and deception had left him listless. Those other feelings...had left him just as exhausted. How could he get rid of them?

"Hn." He muttered before closing his eyes slowly. He didn't understand completely how he knew, but it was good enough.

His decision was made.

* * *

**A/N: **What did Shiki decide on? _What do you guys think?_ Feelings are too troublesome aren't they? Haha, hope you liked this. R&R pls! :D


	18. Ch18: Eternity in Darkness

**Chapter 18: Eternity in Darkness**

* * *

_Not many people know this, but vampires like me are very selfish._

_-Shiki_

* * *

All at once, the blood whips dissipated into the air, the smell of copper competing with the salt of the sea. Rima had braced herself, eyes shut, prepared for her disintegration into dust. She did not know how to react to this though, the lack of a final blow, another lash...she had expected something else entirely but not **him**. She could not hide the fact that she was shivering. It was not from any emotion. Autumn's temperatures had dropped drastically. She could not feel this way anymore. Rima, on the verge of crying from the building frustration, looked up and felt herself stop and then, break down.

"Why are you crying?!" She screamed angrily.

'_What?'_

Shiki touched his face and found wetness on his cheeks. He touched his eyes and felt the same wetness there, forming at the corners of his eyes.

_Doushite?_

He looked at Rima and watched the same occurrence fall on her beautiful yet marred face.

"I can't live like this, Shiki!" She screamed again.

Then, reacting faster than Rima could ever hope for, Shiki grabbed her. No, hugged her, nestling her head in between his neck and shoulder.

Her body chilled his.

His warmed hers.

They stood there again, Shiki grabbing at her body, pulling her closer into him, hoping to imprint her forever on himself. A hand entangled itself amongst her twisted locks, yielding both pain and pleasure at his touch when he pulled through the knots. He pressed his face into her hair and breathed in its lulling smell. Intoxicating, reviving... addictive.

"Don't leave...not again..." He kept repeating softly.

Hearing this, Rima began to fight back, trying to get out of his embrace. It was eating away at her resolve. She was ready to die. Why did he have to make her doubt that? Why does it feel so difficult?

So she mustered as much coldness as she could and injected it in her next words. "Let me go.".

"No." Unbearably, he crushed her to him.

"W-Why?" She stuttered and hated herself for it.

He didn't answer immediately. His grip loosened and she was able to breathe again. Unwillingly, she relaxed against his chest, listening to the air move in and out of his lungs.

"...My most important..."

This declaration shot through her, overwhelming her and killing her all at once. Her resolve disappeared, her doubts dissolved, her hope blossomed. A sliver of disbelief still remained untouched.

Maybe before, but he couldn't think of her that way...not the way she was now...

"I can't."

She couldn't help him. She couldn't live forever competing with the thirst. She couldn't believe she was that important, even though to her, that's exactly what he was.

Shiki stroked the back of her head soothingly. Quietly, he leaned in and whispered in her ear, "You can."

And he pushed her away from him and looked sideways, taking a deep breath.

"What...?" Rima breathed, watching Shiki press two fingers against his throat and begin to drag thick dark wounds across his white skin. Horrified, Rima wanted to look away but true to her fallen nature, she continued to watch and felt her blood lust claw for control.

"No. Shiki..."

He couldn't...not for her. It was forbidden. Not many knew this except the most distinguished aristocrat families, but if pure enough, sometimes in the rarest case, an aristocrat's blood could stave off the Level E's descent. Shiki could only hope that his would be sufficient. So against her protests, Shiki pushed her face deeper into the side of his neck. She resisted and tried to surface from the temptation but Shiki persisted, leaning closer, urging her to drink his blood before the wounds closed and healed over.

"Senri..."

"I won't let you die..." He muttered, simple words that chased away her doubts. Her fingernails clenched into the catch of his shoulder blades as she leaned in, the thirst growing drastically each second. Her throat constricted and her fangs ached with a shameful bliss as they punctured sweet flesh. The rush of blood swelled, streaming down and quenching the thirst. Her yearning had been magnified by their separation, making the taste even more irresistible to Rima. But pulling back, Rima hurriedly searched Shiki's eyes, looking for even the shadow of regret in them. Shockingly, she found none.

Unfazed as if he had merely been bitten by a mosquito, Shiki wiped some of his blood from her mouth and allowed his wounds to close to prevent further loss. Then he smiled. So tenderly. She felt like a kid again, drunk on indulgence, reaching for the warmth of his body. They grasped at the other tightly, each one needing the other. Rima, she had found her protector, her rock who provided her with everything that Rido had taken away from her and more. For Shiki, acceptance was forever his. She would never expect anything more than himself from him.

_Thank you._

* * *

**A/N:** =3 Rima didn't die! YAY! R&R please! :D


	19. Ch19: Love For The Innocent

**Chapter 19: Love for the Innocent**

Trickles of water, swept along craggy rocks, join a fast-flowing stream as droplets of dew dripped down from leaf to leaf on the trees above and joined in the rush downwards. Sweeped along with it were pebbles and bark from fallen trunks. Following gravity's dictation, the murky water slowed to a cautious creep on level ground. Closer, it slithered to an edge where land disappeared and a free-fall began; gaining speed as it dropped into a watery mass that engulfed its existence. The lake's current seized the trickle and flung it to the surface, manifesting itself in the form of ripples and bubbles. It travelled through tall skeletal reeds and circled beneath expansive flourishes of lily pads. It continued to circle and lap at the earthy boundaries of raised ground. And at the opposite edge, stood Rima, at whose feet the water touched a grassy shore. She stared across the length of the lake, the wind deadly still around the statuesque figure.

Nature's hymn did not last long. There was a large splash and then, a horrified scream. "Chiai!"

And then someone laughed.

The first voice started yelling again. "Now I'm all wet! I'm gonna get you back for this!"

The other voice screamed in delight rather than fear at the threat, the voices belonging to two girls, one blond and the other, dark-haired, both slim and clad in sweaters and jeans. They skipped around on the glade of the waterfront property, the water lapping at their heels. So carefree and light were their smiles, especially that of the blond whom Rima was focused on intently. It was something that she hadn't seen for so long and also something sobering that reminded her the reason why her sister could smile like that now.

"Miyako..." Rima whispered, subdued by a rush of emotions.

There was a sudden crunch in the leaves behind her but she made no move. She already knew who it was yet she still tensed up when she heard him speak.

"How have you been?"

The tone surprised her. She could not detect nothing but kindness in his voice. After the way she had left without even leaving money or a note weeks before.. The ojiisan who had taken such good care of her while she was battling herself.

Without turning, she addressed the question. "..I've been good."

They stood there quietly for a while, listening to the continuous chattering of the girls on the other side and the fluttering of petals and leaves as they fell prey to autumn's effect. Rima turned with a remorseful expression.

"Ojiisan, I'm sor-"

He lifted a hand to silence her apology. "Sh, it's ok. That Takuma fellow explained most of it to me. I understand, and so does Chiai."

Her ears perked up again when he spoke again, observing the girls with keen eyes.

"She seems happy here."

Rima let a smile form on her lips. "Hn."

The man looked at her and asked tentatively, "Are you sure you don't want to talk to her?"

She shook her head, though the action was reluctant. "There'll be nothing to talk about. I'm a stranger to her now."

She could feel his sympathy towards her plight and was once again, grateful that she had met him and his grandaughter.

She reached into the pockets of her coat and pulled out a bracelet. Miyako's bracelet. It would finally be reunited with its rightful owner. She held it out to the old man and pleaded with him. "Please, give this to my sister. I've been holding onto it this whole time. It's our mother's."

Her stoic expression encouraged him to accept the piece of jewelry wordlessly. The tufts of white hair left on his head swayed in the breeze as he turned it carefully in his hand.

"It's better this way." Rima muttered but to his ears, it sounded like she was trying to convince herself that she had no other choice.

He didn't point it out though, knowing that she would probably become more obstinate and refuse. So instead, he said, "Come back once in a while and visit, our door is always open."

He turned around, hands behind his back as he stared out over the lake to where the girls were. A gust of wind and a faint chuckle could be heard, sweeping up flower petals into the sky. Their words, too, were carried along to the opposite shore. Both petals and whispers reached the girls, causing Miyako to look over to other side of the lake, her eyes compelled, drawn by the source of the petals. Steady green eyes settled on the empty space where Rima had stood, a flash of yellow and black attracting her. Curious why Miyako had stopped chasing her, the older girl, Chiai, circled around and pounced on her back.

"Mi-chan, what's wrong?" Chiai followed her eyes and saw her grandfather, who waved with a crippled hand. She waved back and poked at Miyako.

Miyako looked back at her friend and pointed. "Was someone standing over by Ojiisan just now?"

Chiai checked again and thought hard but eventually, shook her head, still pensive.

"Weird...I thought I saw someone. A girl?"

Chiai cocked her head to the side. "Hmmm, maybe it was Onee-chan?"

Miyako was confused. "Onee-chan?"

Chiai's face lit up as she begun to explain. "Yeah! Rima nee-chan! She's so pretty and weird and she was the one who- uh, um... " She stopped talking, remembering that she was not to mention Rima to Miyako. Then trying to make up for her blunder, she tried to switch topics. "Uh, I mean, I didn't see anyone! Let's go inside and play some games now! Race you there!"

She knocked Miyako on the head and another chase began, Miyako's curiousity forgotten and overshadowed by her anger.

"CHIAI. Get back here!"

Off in the distance, Rima smiled to herself, walking through the dense forest that she had disappeared to. She had heard Chiai's conversation with Miyako. There had been no recognition at the mention of her name. It seemed she truly has been erased from memory.

'_But you will always be my sister.'_ She thought vehemently. Nothing would take that away from her. A clearing appeared before her that led to a pristine airstrip as she passed through the edges of the forest. She walked towards a prestigious-looking jet where a lone figure awaited her, standing beneath the name _Raytheon Premier_. It was Shiki. He was leaning against the side of the jet, looking relaxed and fashionable with his white scarf, a pilot helmet under one arm and a piece of pocky in his mouth, chewing away without a care in the world. Their eyes met and they stared at one another. There was no need for words or an explanation. He knew that she needed time. After a while, he went up the steps and rummaged in the back of the hangar. He pulled out another helmet and tossed it at her head.

"We're going to be late." He said blandly as she caught it. She merely nodded. She wasn't that thrilled at making their next appointment anyways. Shiki clambered back inside and Rima followed suit, the door automatically jerking and closing behind her. Shiki was already in the pilot seat, buckled in and flipping switches and checking gauges. Rima plopped into the seat next to him and donned the helmet, buckling in as well. Once everything was secured, Shiki begun to put the plane in motion towards the take-off lane. Rima gripped the arm rests, staring out of the wide panel window as they moved into position.

"Tower Control, Pocky Pilferer one-six-niner, ready for take-off." Rima heard Shiki speak into his microphone.

"Pocky Pilferer one-six-niner, stay on standby." A stiff voice replied.

Few minutes later after watching another jet fly off, there was another radio call came in and in that same stiff voice, "Tower Control to Pocky Pilferer one-six-niner, you are cleared for take-off."

"Thanks." Shiki murmured. He shifted into gear and flicked more switches, the jet beginning to move down the lane, rapidly gaining speed as the engines flared. Just as it was reaching break-neck speed, a thought occurred to Rima, one that should have been addressed long before. Glancing at Shiki with furrowed eyebrows, she voiced her thoughts.

"Shiki...when I checked your records, it didn't say anything about a pilot license."

"Hn."

A "No" if she had ever heard one. But there was no time to think once the jet wheels folded and it ascended into the air, altitude steadily rising.

(It would be a very long time until Rima would ever get the nerve to get on another plane again.)

It took them less than ten hours of flying until they landed in another private airstrip which was just as neat as the one they had left back in the States. Once they exited the aircraft, the two of them were taken away by car. Their destination? Cross Academy. Their purpose? To meet Kaien Cross and formally enroll Rima into classes when it opened. During the car ride there, Shiki felt bristles of anxious anticipation coming off of Rima. She was understandably apprehensive about the Academy. He held her hand, reassuring her that it would be alright. One would have thought that they'd have to deal with the repercussions of Rima's former claim of lineage and the mysterious disappearance of Kuran Rido, but according to Ichijo, like Miyako, there was a weird forgetfulness that had fallen upon everyone on the cruise ship except for those who had been present in the hull that night when it came to Rima and Rido. It was a little troublesome, but Shiki also had to consider protecting the knowledge of his unorthodox relationship with Rima now. No one could find out. He would not let her go. Not again.

Not when he had finally caught up with her.

The squeeze tightened as they finally reached tall prominent gates that swung open to welcome them into the academy. They drove onto fine, newly retouched pavement and Rima, for the first time, was introduced to the sight of Cross Academy. The car drove down the road until it reached a fork where it split off into two, each leading to another iron-wrought gate. The chauffeur took the left entrance and after verifying his identity with a pass card, drove through the gate. Rima stared outside the window, scrutinizing the large buildings that would soon be her home. There were a few students outside, hanging out in front of the dorm entrance but she quickly found familiar faces amongst a small group that was standing near the edge of the road. The car stopped just metres away from them and Shiki and Rima got out, hand in hand. The group migrated towards them.

Ichijo, Kain, Aido, and Ruka.

They were smiling, especially Ruka and Ichijo who were gushing sentimental greetings, making Rima feel less insecure. Ichijo grinned a toothy grin and took a step to the side. "And, here's our esteemed President of the Night Class."

Behind the brown and golden-haired vampires, another person with hair as dark as a moonless night surfaced. And when Rima made eye contact, she immediately dropped her head. Shiki soon mimicked her and bowed his.

It was Kaname-sama.

Kaname, used to this type of greeting, nevertheless, smiled, his eyes particularly focused on Rima. Unfortunately, Ruka caught this look and gaped, her eyes unusually wide.

Kaname-sama was smiling?! She began to fret. Had she lost to Rima already?!

Ignoring Ruka's jealousy, Kaname motioned for the two youngest vampires to raise their heads. A gentle smile appeared on his lips as he spoke, a voice soft yet irrevocably masculine. "How do you do, Shiki, Rima? Welcome to Cross Academy."

"Thank you, Kaname-sama." The two of them replied simultaneously.

Kaname muttered, "I'm glad that you are both well."

The two remained silent, not sure what to say. Rima herself did not know what to say, knowing that no words could explain the gratitude she felt towards the Pureblood for his help, and also, his silence. All she could do was bow her head more deeply.

Kaname glanced at Ichijo and announced, "Ichijo, if you could, I have something else to attend to."

"No problem, Kaname. I'll take care of everything here." Ichijo answered cheerfully, giving a thumbs up. Kaname nodded and left the group, disappearing into the dorms. As soon as the door had shut behind the president, Aido stepped forward and took the initiative to grab hold of Shiki and Rima's interlocked hands and hold them up for all to see.

"Hey...What's this all about now?!" The nosy blond frowned. "Are you guys DATING?"

Shiki began to step backwards, dragging Rima back with him as if to return to the car and escape. Ichijo popped out of nowhere behind Shiki and stopped him from retreating any further.

"Shiki..." He whispered creepily, "We're all friends here right?"

Shiki jerked forward, accidentally letting go of Rima's hand as he found himself getting cornered off by the two curious males. As always, Kain stood off to the side, watching with sympathy. But something was different this time, now he had to watch two situations, one with the questioning of Shiki and the other, the questioning of Rima by Ruka. He sighed.

Oh boy.

While Shiki suffered under rapid-fire questioning, Rima had been pulled aside by Ruka who began making her own inquiries.

"Rima, how do you know Kaname-sama?"

"Umm..."

"Where did you meet him?"

"Uhhh..."

"Are you two close? Do you talk to each other often? Why was he smiling? RIMA!"

Rima shook her head, waiting for Ruka to stop her barrage so that she could get rid of whatever misunderstanding her friend had. Finally, Ruka ran out of steam and Rima was able to deny any close relationship with Kaname-sama. Ruka, relieved, hugged her and got all excited about Rima being her new roommate.

Ichijo and Aido's interrogation went nowhere near as well as Ruka's, having captured a prisoner who just yawned and nodded off, unwilling to answer any questions at all. Rima came back and shy to hold his hand again, put them in her pockets. Shiki arched his eyebrow slightly, noticing the action. Ichijo saw the exchange and his mischievous side acted up. He put his hands on Rima's shoulders, beginning to massage them. Rima, feeling awkward, looked up at him weirdly.

"What?"

Ichijo shrugged. "You just looked a little tense, that's all."

Then he snuck a peek at Shiki.

Shiki's eyes smoldered and he inhaled and exhaled slowly. In one swift movement, he was beside Ichijo and swatting off his hands from her shoulders. "We have a job to do."

_'Job?'_ Rima thought, confused. She hadn't heard about any job. She thought her schedule had been cleared for today's enrollment. Shiki reclaimed Rima's hand and whisked her out of anyone's reach, backtracking to the road where another car was always waiting at the convenience of the Night Class. Shiki summoned it with a nod and they headed to the curb to meet it.

"Oh." Ichijo smirked, holding his hands up in surrender. "I see. I've lost to innocent love."

Aido whistled in disbelief. "You've got to be kidding me! He's lying!"

Kain hit Aido on the head, rolling his eyes. Sometimes he wondered whether his cousin was really a certified genius.

Ichijo lowered his hands and smiled contently. He was happy that things had, for the most part, worked out for them. This, of course, excluding the situation with Miyako. Inoue-san and his granddaughter would take care of her, he'd make sure from his personal funds that they were all taken care of.

"No, I don't think he is." Ichijo sniffed.

...

"Takuma-sama, are you crying?"

In the car, Rima found herself dumbfounded, listening to Shiki instructing the chauffeur as to where to take them. She wouldn't ever say this out loud but she had always thought Shiki never knew where he was being taken most of the time.

"So, what's this about a job?" Rima asked.

Shiki's face contorted but there was no other response.

Rima poked him in the arm. "Hey."

Nothing.

More poking.

Shiki glared at her. She glared back and continued, using her other hand too now.

He tried to swat them away but she managed to catch his hand instead and brought it up to her face. She stared into his shocked eyes, a smile brimming over.

'_You were jealous weren't you?'_ she thought.

'_No I wasn't,'_ he answered silently, eyes shifty and low.

'_That's a first.'_

'_Well,'_ Shiki lifted his gaze, _'...' _

'_I know.'_

Shiki scoffed at this and restrained the urge to roll his eyes. It was quiet then.

"You too..." Rima said hesitantly. "I.."

Shiki, with a half crooked smile, sighed, interrupting her.

"I know."

And he gripped her hand tightly and leaned in closer to touch his forehead to hers, gazing deeply into eyes that had fixated him since day one. Their breaths mixed in the space between them, swirling and mixing into a concoction of sweet strawberries and bitter chocolate. They closed their eyes and stayed like that for the rest of the ride, loving each other in a way that wasn't obvious on the surface.

**END.**

* * *

**A/N:** So this is actually the end, unlike what I said before haha. It's a better ending for sure haha. Thank you to all my readers for your support, and Matsuri Hino for such awesome characters :D ! Now I`m kind of sad too that it's over D;

And haha, I say this is the end **BUT** who knows, SHIMA might make an appearance in my newest addition: _Love, Chopin_. Hehe. ^_^


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